Long-withheld due to a legal snag, this fall MGM Home Entertainment will be
reissuing YELLOW SUBMARINE. This release will restore YELLOW SUBMARINE to
its original English release length, which is said to be three and a half
minutes longer than the US release, restoring the "Hey Bulldog" sequence
that was cut for reasons of length for the original Amercian theatrical
release. MGM/UA's new transfer is said to be bright and colorful, without a
trace of the film dirt and scratches that mar the earlier video release.

The five members of rock band Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, vocals; Joe Perry,
guitars; Brad Whitford, guitars; Tom Hamilton, bass; and Joey Kramer,
drums, have teamed with Walt Disney Imagineering to create a high-speed
thrill ride for Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, called Rock
'n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith. It debuts this summer at Disney-MGM
Studios. The indoor roller coaster features a high-speed launch of 0-60 mph
in 2.8 seconds, three inversions, rock-concert lighting and a specially

Affiliated with the World Science Fiction Convention, the North American
Science Fiction Convention which takes place in Anaheim, California, August
26 - 29, 1999, is held whenever the WSFC is outside of North America (as it
is this year in Australia). The convention includes hundreds of authors,
artists, and filmmakers as speakers; an art show; a dealers room; films;
costume competition; dances; parties and more. The film competition accepts
entries in 16mm and VHS (NTSC only), to be judged by a panel of working TV

The WIA Writers' Seminar Group meets Thursday, July 8, 7:30 pm at Saban
Entertainment, 10960 Wilshire Blvd. at the corner of Midvale in Los
Angeles, California, USA. Brian Casentini from Saban Development will be
guest speaker. He'll discuss the development process at the Fox Family
Channel, pitching, and what you should include in a presentation bible.
Admission: $5 at the door. RSVP required to Jean Wright at 818-360-8321.

An Evening with the Professionals meets every third Thursday of the
month. This is a studio field trip series which brings the audience
into a different studio each month to talk to industry professionals about
a topic that changes monthly. The topic for July 17 (7-9 pm) is, "What
writers should know about producers." It is hosted by Rhythm & Hues, and
the speakers include Ken Roupenian (Producer at Rhythm & Hues), Karey
Maltzahn (2D/Post Exececutive Producer at Rhythm & Hues), Lynne Southerland

The ABC network, which is owned by The Walt Disney Co., has ordered a
six-hour miniseries based on the first two installments of James Gurney's
fantasy book series, DINOTOPIA which is about a world in which humans and
highly-evolved dinosaurs live together in harmony. With the exception of
Stephen King projects THE SHINING and STORM OF THE CENTURY, DINOTOPIA marks
ABC's biggest miniseries time commitment since 1988's 30-hour WAR AND
REMEMBRANCE which starred Robert Mitchum. Some sources estimate the cost at

Hollywood, California-based Gnomon, a school for visual effects, has
expanded their offerings of short-format classes. Designed both for current
working professionals and individuals wanting to get into digital effects
and animation, these seminars and workshops are between a hour-and-a-half
and six hours long. Courses include Intro to 3D Concepts, Color Theory for
Movies, Integrating 2D and 3D CGI, Maya 2.0: Dynamics, Maya 2.0: Fur,
Resume Workshop, Interviewing and Negotiating Skills, and Math for

Dream Quest Images, the feature film visual effects division of The Walt
Disney Company, has wrapped production on more than 300 visual effects
shots for INSPECTOR GADGET, Walt Disney Pictures' live-action version of
the '80s Saturday morning cartoon. The film follows the escapades of
Inspector Gadget, the bumbling bionic detective, played by Matthew
Broderick and his nemesis, the villainous Claw, played by Rupert Everett.
The film is directed by David Kellogg and produced by Jordan Kerner, Roger

Eddie Murphy has rejoined the voice cast of Fox's Will Vinton
Studios-produced comedy, THE PJS, after angrily walking out on the show
when Fox decided to hold it back for midseason rather than giving it a slot
on the fall schedule. Murphy, a co-creator of THE PJS who has provided the
voice of lead character Thurgood Stubbs, had already recorded eight of next
season's 22 episodes before he walked. Producer Imagine TV used Murphy
sound-alike Phil Morris for two episodes, but it's undetermined whether

Fox Family Channel has named Nancy Redford Vice President of Programming and Development. Redford will oversee day-to-day management and adminstration of live-action and animated daytime programming and development for Fox Family. She will also serve as production executive on several children's series coming up this fall, including JELLABIES and WEIRD OHS. Redford had been Associate Vice President of Programming and Development for Fox.

PDI (Pacific Data Images) has hired Jennifer Thomas as Executive Producer of PDI's Commercial Division. Most recently, Thomas completed an entirely PDI produced international live-action/CG package for Pepsi. Prior to joining PDI, she produced KFC's "The Little Colonel" campaign. She was also part of the visual effects team on WHAT DREAMS MAY COME. Thomas began her career nearly fifteen years ago in traditional cel animation with Ray Seti at New York-based Sunflower Films.

Vancouver, British Columbia-based a.k.a Cartoon, Inc., Danny Antonucci's studio, has hired. Falconer as storyboard supervisor/storyboard director, and Marlene Robinson-May as storyboard director and animation timing director. Falconer previously worked at Vancouver-based Mainframe Entertainment on REBOOT, BEAST WARS, and WAR PLANETS. Childhood chums Falconer and Antonucci worked together at Vancouver-based International Rocketship in the '80s on Antonucci's LUPO THE BUTCHER.

Australian animation studio and distributor Energee Entertainment has appointed Genevieve Dexter as Director of Co-productions and Acquisitions, operating out of their new London offices. Dexter's role at Energee will be to forge new relationships with co-production partners, independents, and key creatives. Dexter has ten years experience in the animation business and, prior to Link Entertainment, where she was Head of Sales & Acquisitions, she was Sales Manager for UK-based EVA Entertainment.

The Walt Disney Company has named four executives to new positions. ETIENNE DE VILLIERS has been named president and managing director, Walt Disney International Europe; MICHAEL O. JOHNSON has been named president and managing director, Walt Disney International Asia; DIEGO LERNER has been named president and managing director, Walt Disney International Latin America; and PAUL SALEH has been named senior vice president and chief financial officer, Walt Disney International.

Montreal-based IMAX/SANDDE is looking for experienced classical animators...

Owing to a flood of entries and requests for an extension to the entry deadline, organizers of the 1999 Ottawa International Student Animation Festival (SAFO) have extended the July 1st deadline to July 15, 1999...

Detailed information on the 2000 edition of the Brussels Cartoon and Animated Film Festival is now available...

This week's updates to the Calendar of Events includes nine new animation-related events, including the Brussels and Annecy festivals' 2000 editions, and the Animated Castles festival in Italy this October. The Calendar of Upcoming Events is a constantly changing reference source for what's happening around the World of Animation. Use it to stay abreast of animation related activities across the globe. If you know of animation related events that we don't have listed, send an email with the pertinent facts to annick@awn.com.

This issue #38 of ANiMATO! is autographed with paint (not ink) by Underdog creator Joe Harris. Thirteen pages are devoted to Underdog in this issue which kicks off with David Krell's "Underdog: The Canine Crusader" and closes with "Flying High With Underdog" by Leigh Anne Brodsky. In addition to drawing the original cover, Joe Harris also wrote an article for this issue entitled "Life With Underdog." Inside the front cover is Joe's full color artwork of Underdog smashing "Hunger" for the World Hungerthon and, on page 37, Joe's storyboard art for The World of Commander McBragg.

Plympton's Comic of the Week: "A Test for our Elected Officials". A new outrageous comic by Bill Plympton can be found each Friday at his website.