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Headline News

Macromedia completes acquisition of Andromedia

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 29, 1999 at 12:00am

Early in December 1999, Macromedia, a leader in digital and Internet software, announced it had completed its acquisition of Andromedia Inc., a leading provider of eMarketing software solutions for e-commerce. Macromedia previously announced a definitive agreement to acquire Andromedia on October 7, 1999. As part of the merger, Macromedia will obtain all of the outstanding stock in Andromedia. The company will issue 5.2 million shares of stock in connection with the deal and will incur one-time charges from the merger of up to $5 million in its fiscal third quarter.

Million Headline News

Stuart Little drops to third in Holiday box office

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 29, 1999 at 12:00am

With new live-action flicks ANY GIVEN SUNDAY and THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY taking the top two spots in the U.S. box office Sony's STUART LITTLE had to settle with third place grossing US$11.82 million bringing its grand total to $39.5 million. TOY STORY 2 finished fourth by flying in with another $10.38 million making its cume $177.5 million. THE GREEN MILE fell to fifth with a weekend pull of $9.26 million and a cume of $53.1 million. New comer GALAXY QUEST, backed by some surprisingly good reviews from the likes of Mr. Ebert, debuted at #7 with a first weekend take of $7.01 million.

Dreamworks Headline News

DREAMWORKS brings NATHAN NEVER to the screen

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 29, 1999 at 12:00am

DreamWorks has obtained the screen rights to Nathan Never, a comic published in Italy by Bonelli Editore and imported by Platinum Studios. The story focuses around Nathan Never, a 21st Century Dirty Harry, who, in the wake of a terrible crime, is charged to protect the lone witness. The comic was acquired by DW's Walter Parkes and Glenn Williamson. The pic will be produced by Platinum chairman Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, co-produced by Platinum pres Ervin Rustemagic and senior VP Gregory Noveck. Parkes and Rosenberg teamed up together on MEN IN BLACK.

Digital Headline News

SimEx Digital produces animated logo for PBS' NATURE

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 29, 1999 at 12:00am

PBS' NATURE recently received a new animated logo for its opening from digital animation and effects house, SimEx Digital Studios. The opening is a montage of snippets from nature. SimEx helped bring together the show's theme in the opening by illustrating how humans relate to nature everyday. Read more about SimEx Digital Studios and their work from Creative Director Allen Yamashita in Heather Kenyon's Animation World Magazine interview.

Headline News

Video game pioneer slated for ZDTV show

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 29, 1999 at 12:00am

ZDTV, a 24-hour cable television channel about computing, technology and the Internet, will have Atari founder Nolan Bushnell on BIG THINKERS. Hosted by Mark Eddo, BIG THINKERS features in-depth discussions with the most visionary and influential men and women working in the high-tech industry today. The episode with Bushnell, the creator of PONG, will air January 5, 2000 at 10:30 pm. These interviews, plus additional footage not shown on air, will be available in streaming video on the show's companion Web site.

Final Headline News

FINAL CUT PRO 1.2 quite a bundle

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 29, 1999 at 12:00am

In promoting post-production on the MAC platform, Apple recently bundled a number of 3D and 2D tools with its Final Cut Pro system. MAXON, Terran Interactive, and Puffin Designs have announced that their software will be bundled in with Final Cut Pro at no extra cost. MAXON's Cinema 4D GO -- their entry level 3D package (in short, a cut down version of their very popular Cinema 4D XL package) -- will be included in the Final Cut Pro package as a full working version, allowing users to create 'flying logos' and other simple 3D imagery for use in their productions.

Film Headline News

MONONOKE director Miyazaki slated to make new film

As we reported in the past [AF 7/1/97], the

world-renowned Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki had decided to

hang up his white film gloves and never make a feature film again. Well

cheer up anime fans! The master is back to work on a new feature film. This

announcement ends a 2 1/2 year hiatus after PRINCESS MONONOKE broke box

office records all over Japan. What's the follow-up to the US$150 million

hit at the Japanese B.O.? The project is titled SEN TO CHIHIRO NO

Headline News

A split decision for Net MTV

On Monday, December 20, 1999, MTV Networks,

the music/entertainment cable television and Internet business, announced

it would split its Net company into two separate groups. MTV Networks

On-line will be divvied up into the MTVi Group, which includes VH1.com,

MTV.com and SonicNet.com, and Nickelodeon On-line, which includes nick.com,

nickjr.com, tvland.com, nick-at-night.com, gas.nick.com, teachers.nic.com

and redrocket.com. "Executives in the past have stated that both companies

Internet Headline News

Ex-Walt Disney Internet exec freed from jail

As was reported [AF 12/21/99], a federal

court jury convicted former Walt Disney Internet executive, 34-year-old

Patrick Naughton, of possessing child pornography, but deadlocked on

charges that he crossed state lines seeking sex with a "13-year-old girl"

which he arranged via the Internet. On Wednesday, December 22, 1999, U.S.

District Judge Edward Rafeedie reversed his own ruling and released

Naughton from jail, saying it was likely that he would win a new trial. On

Imax Headline News

Fantasia/2000 already filling theaters

The advanced ticket sales for

Disney's IMAX release of FANTASIA/2000 have already seen strong numbers. In

Reuters Magazine, Brian Weisfeld, senior vice president of operations for

Toronto-based IMAX Corp., said advanced ticket sales were as high as

$80,000 in some IMAX-operated theaters versus a more normal $4,000. IMAX,

the owner and franchiser of more than 180 IMAX theaters worldwide, hopes

that FANTASIA/2000 will attract other major films to their eight story

Headline News

Fablevision Creates 2 New Shows For Noggin'

By Rick DeMott | Saturday, December 25, 1999 at 12:00am

Boston-based animation house Fablevision is slated to create two new shows

for Noggin, the new 24-hour educational network for kids from Nickelodeon

and the Children's Television Workshop. Fablevision will produce CECIL AND

HER VERY OWN UNIVERSE and SWAMP DOG. CECIL will feature a 12-year-old girl

and her robot dog who live in a underground society in the future. Cecil

dreams of leaving her mole-like life to see what above ground has in store.

Headline News

Babar Breaks Directly To Video

By Rick DeMott | Saturday, December 25, 1999 at 12:00am

As of December 21, 1999, both young and old fans of the lovable elephant

Babar can take home his new direct-to-video feature BABAR: KING OF THE

ELEPHANTS. The new film follows the adventures of Babar's life from birth

to his kingship. The video was co-produced by Nelvana Limited and HBO Home

Video and features computer replications of original Babar illustrations.

BABAR: KING OF THE ELEPHANTS bounces into stores at a suggested retail

price of US$19.96.

Black Headline News

Black Logic Kicks With The Rockettes

By Rick DeMott | Saturday, December 25, 1999 at 12:00am

If you're planning to kick back with the Rockettes this holiday season at

New York City's Radio City Music Hall look forward to a more interactive

show. To be featured in the Christmas Spectacular, Black Logic, a visual

effects, 2D/3D animation and live-action production house, has created a 3D

animated sequence to interact with the Rockettes. A happy "Man in the Moon"

character, based on Georges Melies' A TRIP TO THE MOON, smiles, winks and

Festival Headline News

Rotterdam International Film Festival

By Rick DeMott | Thursday, December 23, 1999 at 12:00am

* Wednesday, January 26 - Sunday, February 6, 2000. Rotterdam, The

Netherlands.

The Rotterdam International Film Festival includes a short film section

with categories in animation that include Fiction, Documentary, and

Experimental. To highlight the fest's Japanese program, an exhibition

entitled "Manga Manga!" will showcase selections from manga productions

from 1945 to the present. The festival will again present its "Exploding

Headline News

Metacreations Makes 'Creative' Changes

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 22, 1999 at 12:00am

MetaCreations, a renowned provider of graphics software, recently announced

that the Board of Directors has made the baffling decision of effectively

dropping their range of graphics products to concentrate purely on their

MetaStream technology. This decision comes shortly before the release of

Carrara, MC's "next-generation 3D software for print, video and the Web."

On the third line of their Carrara announcement, MetaCreations stated that

it would continue to support their existing graphics products. However,

Technology Headline News

TGS Announces Amapi 3D V.5

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 22, 1999 at 12:00am

Template Graphics Software (TGS) recently announced that its modeling and

animation software Amapi, was receiving an upgrade. The new release will be

'officially' announced at the Mac World Expo in January, however, the new

version is available now. It features Dynamic Geometry, which allows users

to edit an object dynamically by changing its outline, profile or basic

structure, through the software's ability to remember the construction

history of the object. The upgrade also has a new Decimation tool, which

Software Headline News

3D Studio MAX 3.1 Now Shipping

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 22, 1999 at 12:00am

Discreet recently released a maintenance update to 3D Studio MAX 3 which,

in the coming weeks, will be distributed free of charge to all registered

users of the software. The announcement comes shortly after the company

declared success at clearing well over 100,000 copies, and are reinforcing

their commitment to users by bringing them new features so soon after the

initial release of the software. The update includes data containers for

Headline News

Quebec Animation Makes Quite A Team

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 22, 1999 at 12:00am

Twenty 2D/3D animation and special effects companies from Quebec, Canada

have formed a union in order to better promote the award winning work done

in the region. Called Quebec Animation, the association is supported by the

Quebec Minister of Industry and Commerce, the Quebec Minister of

Communications and Culture, the Quebec Minister of International Relations,

the Montreal Bureau of Cinema, and the Canadian Service Center in

Multimedia Applications (CESAM). The association sets up a focal point for

Headline News

Angela Anaconda Marathon

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 22, 1999 at 12:00am

Fox Family's newly picked up ANGELA ANACONDA rings in the New Year with a

14-episode marathon on January 1, 2000. The seven-hour event will start at

7 am and run 'til 2 pm on Fox Family. The show that TV Guide recently named

one of the top ten new kids shows of 1999 regular airs at 1 pm on Saturdays

and Sundays on Fox Family.

Movie Headline News

Batman Descends On DVD & Video

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 22, 1999 at 12:00am

The Dark Knight descends into video stores December 21, 1999 with three new

BATMAN BEYOND videos and two new DVDs -- BATMAN BEYOND: THE MOVIE and

BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM. Each of the three BATMAN BEYOND VHS tapes

(DISAPPEARING INQUE, SCHOOL DAYZ, TECH WARS) all feature three episodes of

the Warner Bros. cartoon series. The BATMAN BEYOND DVD features the movie

and four bonus episodes of the series. BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM is the

first feature animated movie and has sold millions of copies on VHS

Animation Headline News

Women In Animation Writers' Group

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 22, 1999 at 12:00am

* Thursday, January 13, 2000. Westwood, California, U.S.A.

The Women In Animation Writers' Group begins a new series of seminars at

Saban Entertainment at 7:30 pm. Have you always wanted to write for

animation, but you don't where to start? What's the difference between

writing for animation and live-action? What are some of the techniques for

writing gags? Join us and find out! For more information please contact

Jean Ann Wright at (818) 360-8321. RSVP required.

Internet Headline News

Disney's Former Internet Exec Convicted

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 22, 1999 at 12:00am

On Thursday, December 16, 1999, a federal court jury convicted former Walt

Disney Internet executive, 34-year-old Patrick Naughton, of possessing

child pornography, but deadlocked on charges that he crossed state lines

seeking sex with a "13-year-old girl" which he arranged via the Internet.

Naughton's lawyers asked that he remain free on bail awaiting an appeal,

however the request was denied due to the fact that federal law requires

persons convicted of crimes of violence to be jailed upon waiting for an

Million Headline News

Stuart Little Makes It Big At The BO

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 22, 1999 at 12:00am

STUART LITTLE had big shoes to fill to make it to the top of the U.S. box

office this past weekend. The Sony flick, with primary f-ex by Sony

Pictures Imageworks, additional animation done by CFX and Rhythm & Hues,

and miniatures done by Thunderstone, knocked off TOY STORY to finish atop

the bo with a gross totaling US$15.02 million. THE GREEN MILE kept pace and

walked in second place with a gross of $12.68 million and a cume of $36.7

million. TOY STORY 2 slipped to third with a gross of $12.13 million making

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