ILM Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Squires' company Puffin Designs has begun
shipping a Windows version of the already available MAC software 'Composite
Wizard.' The Adobe After Effects plug-in is a smart little program which
gives artists the power to clean up After Effects composites quickly and
easily, fixing common compositing problems such as ragged edges, poor matte
extractions, and improper focal depth cues. The package features over 20
filters which can be used to clean up mattes, along with 'EZ' versions of

Spumco (THE REN AND STIMPY SHOW, RANGER SMITH) has begun a serialized Web
Comic called GEORGE LIQUOR'S FISHING SHOW, based on comics first seen in
Spumco's COMIC BOOK, which was published initially by Marvel, then by Dark
Horse. The Web version is like a comic book that talks, so when you click
on the dialogue balloons, George hollers at you, and there are also many
hidden sound effects waiting to be found. A new page or two will be added
every weekday at www.spumco.com/entertainment/gfs/index.html.

The 2nd Annual Worldfest-Flagstaff International Film Festival. Worldfest,
which has been held in Houston for 32 years and additionally in Charleston,
South Carolina for five years, takes place in Flagstaff, Arizona, the
festival's second appearance there. The festival's focus is on independent
works that have not yet been picked up for distribution. The wide
competition program features eight animation categories and several others,
which may accept animated works, such as "computer generated/mixed media."

The 22nd Cinanima International Animated Film Festival. Since 1977,
Cinanima has been promoting the international art of animation in Espinho,
a city located on the Northern coast of Portugal. The events takes place
Monday, November 8 - Sunday, November 14 in Esphino, Portugal. For more
information contact: Cinanima, Apartado 743, Rua 62-251, 4501 Espinho
Codex, Portugal; Tel. + (351) 2 734-4611, 734-1621; Fax: + (351) 2
734-6015; or E-mail: cinanima@mail.telepac.pt. Also visit
www.awn.com/cinanima.

The School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents the seventh annual New York
Digital Salon, an international juried showcase of computer-generated
artwork. Computer animation screenings will be shown at the SVA
Amphitheatre and the exhibit takes place in the School's Visual Arts
Museum, both located at 209 East 23rd Street. The event takes place Monday,
November 8 in New York, New York, USA. For more information and to view
work on-line, visit www.sva.edu/salon.

ASIFA-Hollywood and Glendale Community College present the
Fourth Annual Lecture Series on "Production Management" with guest speaker,
Kellie-Bea Cooper. Cooper, Production Manager at Phil Roman Entertainment,
has produced award winning independent shorts in both traditional animation
and computer animation which have been featured by SIGGRAPH. She has also
worked with several studios including Jim Henson Interactive and Warner
Brothers. Her background includes work in live action, interactive, Web,

New York University hosts a symposium on The National Film Board of Canada
in honor of the NFB's 60th anniversary. The event takes place Thursday,
November 11 - Sunday, November 14 in New York, New York, USA. For more
information Tel. (212) 596-1660.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents the National Film
Board of Canada's 60th Anniversary Animation Celebration. The Academy is
located at 8949 Wilshire Blvd. The event takes place Thursday, November 18,
8 pm. Beverly Hills, California, USA. For more information Tel. (310)
247-3000.

The Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong SAR Government have reached an
agreement for a proposed Hong Kong Disneyland, a theme park development to
be built as the anchor of a tourism center on Lantau Island. Overlooking
the water at Penny's Bay, and on a main transit route from the new Hong
Kong International Airport, the project will make Lantau Island a
world-class tourist destination and take advantage of the location's easy
access by rail, highway and ferry to attract guests to the Park. Currently

Imagine Entertainment, a film and television production company formed in
1986 by producer Brian Grazer and director Ron Howard, and DreamWorks SKG,
which was formed by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen,
are joining forces to create a new internet entertainment company called
POP.com. The new company is an equal partnership, to be funded by Vulcan
Ventures, Inc., the investment organization of DreamWorks investor Paul G.
Allen. Launching in Spring 2000, POP.com is an independent digital

Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, the pint-sized crime-fighting stars of
Cartoon Network's THE POWERPUFF GIRLS, created by Craig McCracken, will
host a Teen People Online chat session on AOL on Thursday, November 4 at 7
pm ET.

Fox has removed Saban Entertainment's SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED, the futuristic
Spider-Man series, and Columbia/TriStar Television's BIG GUY AND RUSTY THE
BOY ROBOT, which was based on the Frank Miller/Geoff Darrow comic book
about a little Astro Boy-like robot and his Gigantor-like pal, from the FOX
Kids line-up. Both series debuted in September. They have been replaced by
Saban Entertainment's THE AVENGERS, and additional time slots for BKN
(Bohbot Kids Network)'s MONSTER RANCHER and Toei Animation Co.'s DIGIMON:
DIGITAL MONSTERS.

The annual Best Of Banff Television Festival is a traveling showcase
featuring highlights of the 20th Banff Television Festival, which took
place June 13 - 19 in Banff, Canada. The program will make its Ottawa,
Canada stop at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull on November 17,
1999. S4C/BBC's GOGS: GOGWANA, winner of this year's Banff's Best Animation
Program Award, and NFB of Canada/Channel Four's SNOW CAT, a nominee for
Best Animation Program at Banff, will be the featured animated programs.

The 1999 ASIFA-East animation art fund raiser auction takes place on
Friday, November 12, 1999. Films will be shown from Cartoon Network, Karen
Aqua, Nickelodeon's BLUE'S CLUES, Bill Plympton, J.J. Sedelmaier
Productions, Academy Award Winning Blue Sky Studios (BUNNY), and many
others. After the films are shown, artwork or items relating to the films
will be auctioned and all the money will go to benefit ASIFA-East, the East
Coast chapter of the international animation society. The auction takes

The Women In Animation Shorts Fest 2 is a showcase for short animated
films made by WIA members and other filmmakers from around the world. This
evening's program includes LIFE, the hilarious new animated jam session
from Mo Willems and 32 other animators from New York, including Tissa
David, George Griffin, Yvette Kaplan, Candy Kugel and Bill Plympton.
Admission is FREE and open to the public. The event takes place Friday,
November 12, 1999 at 7:00 pm at Santa Monica College, Academy of

Toronto-based Canuck Creations Inc. is in the final stages of production
on THE PRODIGAL SON, a futuristic look at an ancient Bible story. Canuck
produced the short from conceptual design to final color, combining 2D and
3D elements. The 24-minute film will be the main attraction for the youth
pavilion at World Expo 2000, which will take place in Germany. Other
features Canuck has worked on include THE STORY OF JOSEPH, the DreamWorks
direct-to-video sequel to the animated feature, THE PRINCE OF EGYPT,

London-based HRA has completed "Eddie Spaghetti," a :30 for Heinz
spaghetti and agency Leo Burnett, Chicago. The spot depicts the journey of
a piece of spaghetti from plate to boy's mouth, inside of which a party is
in progress. The ad, directed by Kim Burdon, features 3D computer
animation, traditional cel animation, live-action, and puppetry.

Larry Shapiro, executive vice president of business development and
operations for Disney's Buena Vista Internet Group (BVIG), has been
appointed to the COPA Commission on Child Online Protection. COPA is tasked
with identifying and studying technological or other methods to reduce and
restrict access to harmful material for minors on the Internet. "Since its
inception with Disney Online, Buena Vista Internet Group has been committed
to providing trusted environments and entertaining destinations online. We

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.

Newly released Warner Bros.' THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, with visual effects
by Hollywood, California-based K.N.B. EFX Group, Inc., topped the US
weekend boxoffice with an estimated $15.1 million. The film is a remake of
the 1958 William Castle horror film that starred Vincent Price. Buena
Vista's THE SIXTH SENSE, with visual effects by DreamQuest, finished
eighth, grossing an estimated $3.2 million for a total of $259.8 million;
and the American version of Hayao Miyazaki's PRINCESS MONONOKE, which is