JENENE J. WILSON has been appointed Vice President, Human Resources by
Pacific Data Images. She will be responsible for directing the company's
corporate human resource initiatives, including organizational design,
employee compensation and benefits, corporate recruiting and training.
Previously, she was Director of Human Resources for Mattel, Inc. Prior to
that she was Vice President, Compensation and Employee Benefits for Los
Angeles-based Carter Hawley Hale Stores, Inc.

CAROL MCGOVNEY has been recruited for Vice President, U.S. Licensing &
Merchandising by BKN, a US broadcast kids network. McGovney was formerly
Director of Domestic Licensing & Promotions at the Harvey Entertainment
Company; Director of Licensing at Leisure Concepts, Inc.; and Senior Sales
Manager, Licensing & Merchandising for Saban Entertainment.


NADIA NARDONNET has been promoted by BKN to be President of International
Sales & Coproductions. She will be responsible for managing all staff and

The 40th Annual Clios, which are given in recognition of outstanding achievement in the advertising industry, have been announced for 1999. The following list includes only animation related awards. For a complete list of winners, visit www.clioawards.com.


ENTRY TYPE: TELEVISION/CINEMA

CATEGORY: ANIMATION–COMPUTER


BRONZE AWARDS:

Advertiser/Product/Service: Nature's Resource

Title: 'Echinacea'

Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett, Chicago

Production Company: Blue Sky/VIFX, Harrison

This weekend's syndicated episode of SISKEL AND EBERT AT THE MOVIES, Roger Ebert's weekly movie review show in the US, is an animation special entitled "That's Not All Folks!," during which the film critic will explore the past, present, and future of animation.

Jan Nagel has been named Interim President of the non-profit, professional organization Women in Animation. Nagel replaces Women In Animation founder Rita Street until elections are held later this year. Nagel, formerly Vice President of the organization, has worked hand-in-hand with Street since WIA's inception in 1994. "As the Interim President, I will work with everyone in Women in Animation to help nurture the organization through this transition," commented Nagel.

Pre-production on STAR WARS EPISODE II (Lucas reportedly has a title in
mind, but it has not been released) has already begun. Shooting is set to
start in June 2000 with locations at Fox Studios Australia, Tunisia, and
Italy, and the release is scheduled for summer 2002. The story will focus
on the romance and marriage between Anakin Skywalker (the future Darth
Vader) and Queen Amidala, and the Siths' attempt to gain control of the
galaxy. Whereas the budget for EPISODE 1 was $115 million, Lucas says he

Cyclotron has completed a new open for CBS' "Late Show with David
Letterman." It features a sweeping night view of the illuminated Staten
Island Ferry, the Manhattan skyline, and the newly renovated Grand Central
Station. It was shot on High-Def in preparation for future broadcasts of
the show in HD. On-set supervision was conducted by Visual Effects Producer
Robert Buganza and Digital Composite Artist Tim Farrell during shoots of
the Staten Island Ferry, the Manhattan Skyline and Grand Central Station to

San Francisco-based (COLOSSAL) PICTURES has created a hand-drawn 2D :30
animated spot for Old Navy Tie-dye shirts that is done in a retro-style.
George Evelyn directed "Pool Party," which features a pastiche of early
1930s rubber-hose style animation, and is especially reminiscent of Ub
Iwerks and color Van Beuren shorts. The spot opens with a black and white
scene of children and animals moping around a deflated backyard pool, and
begins to change to color when two kids arrive wearing Old Navy Tie-dye

Los Angeles-based Class-Key Chew-Po Commercials has created a series of
"Agent M" spots for McDonald's. Directed by Walter Santucci (EVIL CAT), the
2D animated spots feature two characters, Agent M and his partner Sidecat.
Their goal is to find and acquaint the public with the great food bargains
at McDonald's. Agent M, voiced by Adam West (BATMAN), is a detective with
the cool confidence of James Bond, but with the clumsiness of Inspector
Clouseau. Sidecat, voiced by Taurean Blacque (HILL ST. BLUES), saves the
day when his boss screws up.

eToys Inc., an Internet retailer of children's products, reports that Darth
Maul tops their list of most popular action figure characters. Samuel L.
Jackson's Mace Windu, despite limited screen time, is number two. The least
popular action figure characters at eToys are Senator Palpatine and the
Naboo space craft pilot Ric Olie. Hasbro paid $590 million, and gave George
Lucas a 7.4% stake in the company, for the licensing rights to STAR WARS
EPISODES ONE, TWO, and THREE.


Top Ten Action Figure Characters at eToys

IN SEARCH OF THE MIGHTY REPTAR, an audio adventure based on THE RUGRATS,
the Nickelodeon TV series, will be released by Nickelodeon and Kid Rhino on
July 20th. The release contains two separate stories, "Reptar On Ice" and
"Journey To The Center Of The Basement." "Reptar On Ice" takes the Rugrats
on a quest to meet Reptar, the giant lizard beloved by Tommy Pickles and
his pals, at the Reptar on Ice Show. "Journey To The Center Of The
Basement" tells how the Rugrats summon up their courage to rescue baby

Red Storm, which has been broadening the boundaries of computer gaming with
products like Tom Clancy's RAINBOW SIX, has reached an agreement with
Bohbot Kids Network (BKN), a New York-based syndication network
specializing in children's programming, to produce a series of games based
on BKN's series ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES: ALIENS, MYTHS & LEGENDS, a new show
which will begin airing in the spring of 2000 and already has a two-year
air commitment. The show is a creation of Allen Bohbot, Chairman and CEO of

A building at 2449 Charlotte St. on Hospital Hill, former home of the
Kansas City Slide Co., where A. Vern Cauger hired Disney in 1920, was
bought last year by the University of Missouri-Kansas City, which plans to
demolish the site to make way for a life-sciences facility and parking lot.
Disney worked for more than two years at the Charlotte address, helping
produce slides and one-minute films shown as advertisements in movie
theaters. He worked alongside other Kansas City artists who, like him,

The 26th annual Daytime Emmy Awards were announced on May 21st at New
York's Madison Square Garden Theatre. ARTHUR won Outstanding Children's
Animated Program; Rob Paulsen, the voice of "Pinky" on STEVEN SPIELBERG
PRESENTS: PINKY AND THE BRAIN, won for Outstanding Performer in an Animated
Series; PINKY AND THE BRAIN won for Outstanding Special Class/Animated
Program; VOLTRON won for Outstanding Sound Editing; THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN
ADVENTURES won for Outstanding Sound Mixing - Special Class; STEVEN

A collection that includes several Felix the Cat films, as well as more than 1,500 16mm and 35mm silent films and a vast archive of stills, large-format celebrity portraits, clippings and other memorabilia from Hollywood's Silent Movie Theater will be offered at auction by Butterfield & Butterfield in Los Angeles, California, USA May 23 and 24, 1999. For more information contact Butterfield & Butterfield, Los Angeles, Michael Schwartz, (323) 850-7500 ext. 295; or Levi Morgan, (323) 850-7500 ext. 216; or (415) 861-7500 ext. 348.

LucasFilm and 20th Century Fox’s visual effects-driven STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE took in $61.8 million gross over the three-day weekend. Its five-day total of $102.7 million since its Wednesday debut broke the previous five-day record of $92.7 million set in 1997 by THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK, but its three-day weekend gross failed to challenge the $72.1 million record still held by THE LOST WORLD.

*Wednesday, May 19th - Friday, May 21st. Los Angeles, California, USA.


Highlights of the 1999 Conference and Film Festival of the Large Format
Cinema Association include a tribute to large format film pioneer Lester
Novros, the Large Format Film Festival, Large Format animated films, panel
discussions about theater operations and industry business, sessions
exploring production and post production technology, and a screening of
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. For more information contact LFCA at (310) 823-4901.

Two years of our Desert Island series and over 60 new articles and affiliate web site links have been added to the Student Corner this week...

This week's update to the Calendar of Events includes six new animation-related affairs...

This week's comic is about the circle of life -- through hair growth!