AWN Headline News

Manchester, England-based animation studio Cosgrove Hall, known for its stop-motion production on series such as Brambly Hedge and The Animal Shelf, is launching production on a new, 26-part, drawn 2D animated series called Foxbusters. The show is about a group of renegade chickens that challenge the process of natural selection and try not to get eaten by foxes. David Freedman and Alan Gilbey are writing scripts. The ITV Network Centre has commissioned 11 episodes for debut in September 1999.

Korean company Samsung Entertainment Group is launching a new animated series for adults called "Alexander." Peter Chung, creator of "Aeon Flux," is designing the characters for the fantasy-adventure show, which is set in 4th Century B.C. Macedonia, and is based on the novel "Alexander's War Chronicles" by Hiroshi Aramata. The executive producer is Haruki Kadokawa, the producers are Masao Maruyama and Rintaro, and the supervising director is Yoshinori Kanemori. Animation is being produced at Mad House in Japan. Screenmusic Studios in Los Angeles will handle post-production.

New York-based 4 Kids Entertainment is bringing the popular Japanese animated series "Pokémon" to the international market. The show started in U.S. syndication in September, and is signed to appear on Italy's MediaSet network, Australia's Channel 10, Mexico's Televisa, Canada's YTV and Brazil's Globo TV.

Bohbot Kids Network (BKN) is launching the animated series "Roswell Conspiracies--Aliens, Myths and Legends" for a Fall 1999 U.S. debut and BKN affiliate debut in 2000. It's unusual format will be comprised of 20 one-hour episodes that can also be split into 40 half-hour episodes. With a production budget of U.S. $850,000 per episode, the show is described as Bohbot's most ambitious children's series to date. The science-fiction show, based on the concept that a NATO Alliance was formed to seek out and destroy alien trespassers, is aimed at kids aged 7-13.

One year ago, CANAL + Distribution launched KIDS + to handle international sales of its more than 800 hours of children's programming. Kids + has since sold programming to Italy's Disney Channel Italy and RAI, Germany's Super RTL, Ireland's RTE, Switzerland's Television Suisse-Romande and France's France 3. Kids +'s new animation being launched at MIPCOM this year includes a feature-length version of "Trouble With Sophie," as well as new episodes of "Fennec" and "Blazing Dragons."

Los Angeles-based Industrial Light & Magic Commercial Productions (a division of ILM parent, Lucas Digital) used animated visual effects in a commercial for First Union. Live actors were composited with a 3D CG environment featuring a floating piggy bank, animated money and other exaggerated elements of the finance world. The production team included director Steve Beck, visual effects supervisor George Murphy and CG lead Tim Stevenson.

London-based PASSION PICTURES produced ten seconds of computer animation in two different spots for food supplier, The Co-op. Depicting realistic chickens and a pig, the 3D CG sequences were directed by Chris Knott, using software such as Morph Gizmo for facial animation and the Lightwave plug-in, Steamer for atmospheric haze.

Boston-based VIEWPOINT STUDIOS and HECK YES! PRODUCTIONS have redesigned the main title animation package for the History Channel's show, "Modern Marvels." The 20-second open was created with Flame, compositing motion control photography with animation by Mike Leone of ViewPoint.

* Sunday, October 4. Long Beach, California, U.S.A.

California State University, Long Beach hosts an event launching the second annual "Women in the Realm of Computer Visual Arts, Effects, and Animation" web site (www.animation.org/animation/women/). Site creator Kellie-Bea Rainey will speak on the subject. The event is sponsored by Advanced Media Production and will be held from 4 - 7 p.m. The location is building UTC, room 127. The event is free, but RSVP is essential for admittance. For information and directions call (818) 980-5853 or e-mail kellie-bea@kellie-bea.com.

Listed below is a sampling of some of the top animation-related events taking place during MIPCOM Junior and MIPCOM this week in Cannes. Please note that some of these events are "invitation-only." Check MIPCOM catalogs for details and complete listings. Attention MIPCOM attendees! Don't forget to pick up AWN's first print edition of The Animation Flash, available free in MIPCOM showroom magazine stands.

* Saturday, October 3. 1:00 p.m. Lunch with Neptuno (Hotel Martinez Beach).

* Sunday, October 4.

The Ignatz Awards presentation took place on September 26, during the Small Press Expo (SPX) in Bethesda, Maryland. Named after Ignatz, George Herriman's brick-wielding mouse, the awards aim to recognize outstanding work that challenges popular notions of what comics can achieve, both as an art form and as a means of personal expression. A panel of five cartoonists (Michael Cohen, Tom Devlin, Tom Hart, Marc Hempel and Dylan Horrocks) selected the nominations, and winners were voted on by SPX attendees. The winners are: