San Francisco-based (Colossal) Pictures has completed "I Scream" for Kraft Foods Marshmallow Alpha-bits. Directed by Charlie Canfield for Agency Ogilvy & Mather L.A., the spot is about a group of marshmallow vowels joining up for a rowdy "I scream for ice cream" game. The spot uses traditional cel and computer animation. San Francisco-based Giant Killer Robots did the CGI.

Universal Studios has appointed Kenton Low senior vice president of corporate marketing and Universal Studios Online. In the newly created position, Low reports to Hellene Runtagh, Executive Vice President, and is responsible for developing and executing corporate strategic marketing programs globally. This includes brand management, leveraging Universal's global franchises, and expansion of the company's corporate partnerships program. Low will also oversee Universal Studios Online, the business unit responsible for web site development and e-commerce initiatives.

Balmur Entertainment has appointed Tony Baylis as CEO. Baylis joined Balmur in February 1996 as Executive Vice President/COO, and was appointed President/COO in October 1998. Prior to Balmur, Baylis served as Vice President, Finance for Skyvision Entertainment, the television production arm of the John Labatt Entertainment Group, from 1993-1996. He began his entertainment industry career with the BCL Group, where he served as Director of Finance.

The Electronic Schoolhouse is a new program at SIGGRAPH providing educators and students with an environment in which they can explore and learn the many ways in which computer graphics are taught and used in the classroom. This program will launch at the 26th International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, August 8-13, 1999.

A new section has been added to the student corner. AWN is now offering Quicktime movies of student and independent animator films...

Animha Productions, a unique association of professionals dedicated to independent film production and animation workshops, recently produced "When the Water is Sick...," in association with the ASIFA Workshops Group. "When the Water is Sick..." has been shortlisted for an award at the 6th Bradford International Animation Festival (BAF!). It will also be included in a special compilation of animated films by children from around the world to be screened in Annecy, France, during the summer of 1999. Another new project has already been launched by Animha.

This Week's Special Feature In Awn's Ever Expanding Store:
StarBlazers' Special Offer!

This week's comic is about the dangers of news reporting on nude beaches...

This week's updates to the Calendar of Events includes ten new animation-related events, including the London Effects & Animation Festival, ASIFA-Hollywood's 27th Annual Annie Awards and Nickelodeon's Animation Storyboard Competition...

The Gathering 1999: Gargoyles World Tour, a convention devoted to Disney's
GARGOYLES TV series, will include an art show, workshops, a dealer's room,
a gaming session, a radio show script-reading, a charity auction, and a
costumed masquerade. Guests from the GARGOYLES show will include creator
Greg Weisman, who has also written for DC Comics' CAPTAIN ATOM and Sony's
MEN IN BLACK: THE SERIES among others, and is currently writing and editing
for Sony's upcoming STARSHIP TROOPERS CGI series; Frank Paur,

Disney's TARZAN finished second in the US weekend boxoffice race, grossing
an estimated $23.5 million for a total of $77.02 million; Lucasfilm's
digital effects-driven STAR WARS I: THE PHANTOM MENACE finished fifth and
grossed $14.6 million for a total of $352.16 million, becoming only the
third film to top $350 million in its initial domestic release and passing
this milestone in forty days, eighteen days faster than previous record holder TITANIC; Universal's
THE MUMMY, with digital effects by ILM, finished seventh and grossed $2.1

The Third Annual MadCat International Women's Film Festival will feature independent and experimental works by women from around the world. MadCat will be featured on Tuesday evenings in September, 1999 at El Rio Outdoor Cinema, a seasonal screening venue in San Francisco. MadCat is seeking innovative and challenging works by women. All lengths and genres will be considered. Entry Fees range from US$ 10.00 to $30.00 per entry (pay whatever you can afford!). No fee is requested for international entrants. Entry deadline is July 10, 1999. For more information contact MadCat c/o A.

The September edition of HOLLYWOOD SHORTS, a monthly short film series, will select ten animated shorts that will be screened at THE GIG on September 12, 1999 in Los Angeles, California. Shorts must be no longer than 30 minutes. A special edition of HOLLYWOOD SHORTS will be broadcast via the internet covering the Los Angeles fest. The deadline is July 31, 1999.

The 26th annual ASIFA-Hollywood Annie Awards ceremony, which honors the
best in animation, and took place on November 13, 1998, will be broadcast
on TV for the first time ever on KCAL TV 9 in Los Angeles, California on
June 26, 1999 at 9 pm. The awards ceremony, which was hosted by comedian
Jay Thomas, was originally announced to be televised on the Fox Family
Channel sometime last December. For more information visit
www.asifa-hollywood.org.

On Wednesday, June 23 at 7:30 pm in Burbank, California, Jerry Beck and Tom
Sito will host a two hour presentation of the worst cartoons ever made. The
program will include one episode each of such cartoons as BUCKY AND PEPITO,
POW WOW THE INDIAN BOY, THE FUNNY COMPANY, JOHNNY CYPHER IN DIMENSION ZERO,
a King Features POPEYE cartoon, a very violent HERMAN AND KATNIP cartoon,
THE BIG WORLD OF LITTLE ADAM, SUPER PRESIDENT and much more. All cartoons
will be projected in 16 mm with monophonic sound, and junk food will be

As of July 1, 1999 Graham Ralph is relinquishing his stake in London-based Hibbert Ralph Animation, which will then be known officially as HRA. This will enable Ralph to invest actively in future films and TV series' through a new company, Silver Fox Films. He will also be acquiring the rights to Hibbert Ralph Entertainment's library.

Warner Bros. is combining its feature and TV animation divisions under one roof in Sherman Oaks, California, and TV Animation President Jean MacCurdy will take on the responsibilities of supervising the production of Warner's animated features. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, President of Worldwide Theatrical Production, will continue to supervising the creative side of animated feature production.

Alias|Wavefront, an SGI company, is shipping Maya 2 for Microsoft Windows NT and Silicon Graphics IRIX workstations. Maya 2 includes a number of feature enhancements, timesaving workflow improvements, and across-the-board performance optimizations for 3D animation and visual effects. New features include Wavefront IPR (Interactive Photorealistic Renderer), a rendering technology that allows users to edit lights, shaders, textures and visual effects in a final rendered image.

Adobe has announced Adobe Photoshop 5.5 and Adobe Photoshop Limited Edition (LE) software. Photoshop LE offers tools for correcting and enhancing photos, compositing multiple images, creating original artwork with a variety of special effects, and outputting to desktop printers and common Web file formats. For graphics professionals, Adobe Photoshop 5.5 software provides additional precision and control, broader color mode support, and dynamic Web capabilities.

Macromedia Inc. has announcedthe worldwide availability of Flash 4. Flash 4 includes support for high-fidelity MP3 streaming audio and commands for creating interactive sites. In addition, Flash 4 streamlines the development process with a revamped authoring environment optimized to help developers create bandwidth-efficient Web sites. MP3 streaming audio support in Flash 4 allows designers to create new Web audio applications, such as long-form animations with voiceovers and background music, while keeping files small enough for low-bandwidth delivery.