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Games Headline News

Alias|Wavefront Releases Maya Real Time SDK

Alias|Wavefront released Maya Real Time SDK (Software Developers Kit) at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose. The new release demonstrates the first comprehensive "Art to Engine" solution for creating interactive content on next-generation games platforms. The Maya Real Time SDK is designed to allow games developers to deliver film quality characters and graphics in their titles for new games platforms such as PlayStation 2.

Million Headline News

Snow Slips, Pitch Black Steady At 5th

With strictly live-action fare reigning the U.S. box office, SNOW DAY slipped to sixth place, while PITCH BLACK remained steady in fifth place. Paramount's kid-pic, with special effects by Curious Pictures, fell from #2, grossing US$4.8 million this past weekend and bringing its total gross to $49 million. USA Films' PITCH BLACK, with primary visual effects by Double Negative Ltd. and The Chandler Group, clocked in at #5 for the second straight weekend, grossing $5.07 million raising its total gross to $29.7 million.

Company Headline News

IFILM Increases The Executive Fold

IFILM, a leading Internet resource for film fans, filmmakers and film

industry professionals, has increased their fold by three. The company

announced the appointments of Kevin Wendle, a co-founder of CNET and Fox

Broadcasting Company, as chief executive officer; Doug Sylvester, a

co-founder of E! On-line, as president and chief operating officer; and Tom

Harbeck, former head of programming for the Sundance Channel and a senior

Nickelodeon marketing executive, as the company's Senior VP of programming,

Final Headline News

Mosquiton's Final Battle In Stores

The final adventure of MASTER OF MOSQUITON, THE VAMPIRE comes to video.

VOLUME 3 will fly into stores March 28, 2000. The teenaged tomb raider

Inaho and her undead partner Mosquiton face off against the sinister

Rasputin and Mosquiton's ex-wife, the dreaded Carmilla! The adventure will

hit stores at the price of US$19.98.

World Headline News

Those Who Hunt Elves Chapter 6 Stumbles Into Stores

THOSE WHO HUNT ELVES CHAPTER 6: FINAL TRIALS invades homes across the U.S.

With new cameras, designer furniture and gourmet coffee, the elven world is

slowly looking more like planet Earth. Unfortunately, other earthly

standards have invaded the peaceful world like shady political takeovers,

diabolical plots against the elf hunters, and a crooked court out to

convict our heroes. Will Celcia betray them on the witness stand? Will

Ritsuko ever get a chance to graduate? Will Airi get home to claim her

Entertainment Headline News

William's Wish Wellingtons Works Its Way To Your Tellie

BBC video brings to homes 13 tales from the TV series WILLIAM'S WISH

WELLINGTONS. The 5 minute stories feature a small boy and his pair of magic

boots. The show airs weekly on Cartoon Network and TVO. The tape will be

distributed in the U.S. and Canada by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Volume 1 will be available on March 7, 2000 and be priced at US$14.95.

Headline News

UNICEF's Cartoons For Children's Rights

UNICEF, the United Nations International Children's Education Fund, is

looking for additional animation partners to participate in their "Cartoons

for Children's Rights" initiative. The partnership currently includes over

70 animation companies, as well as independent animators from 32 countries.

Each participant produces and donates at least one 30-second non-verbal

public service announcement dealing with a single right, such as a child's

Anime Headline News

ADV Adds Right Stuf To Its Library

Animation film company ADV Films has inked a distribution deal for the

entire catalog of films from The Right Stuf International, Inc. ADV's

library includes BKN cartoon MONSTER RANCHERS. "Because we have anime

standards such as NEON GENESIS EVANGELION and new classics like BUBBLEGUM

CRISIS: TOKYO 2040, forming an alliance with The Right Stuf is a dream come

true for us," states ADV Films President John Ledford. "The Right Stuf has

two of the true milestones of anime in their enormous catalog; KIMBA, THE

Events Headline News

ASIFA Italia Re-opens

Want to know about events in Italy? Then visit ASIFA Italia's re-designed

Website at www.asifaitalia.org. The Italian-languaged site is a growing

destination for animation in Italy. The site features ASIFA events and

other information regarding the Italian animation organization.

Headline News

CGI Degree At The Art Institute Of LA

The Art Institute of Los Angeles has received approval from the Accrediting

Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT) to offer

Bachelor of Science degrees in computer animation, graphic design and

on-line media and marketing. Established in 1997 as a branch of The Art

Institute of Pittsburgh, the Los Angeles arm received state approval to

offer baccalaureate-level programs in September, 1999. With more than 850

students enrolled, The Art Institute of Los Angeles also offers Associate

Cartoon Headline News

Cartoon Net Lands Looney Toons Plus 4 New Shows

In a meeting with key advertisers, Cartoon Network executives unveiled their business plan for the 2000-2001 television season, including upcoming original series, program acquisitions, which includes the exclusive Looney Toons rights, and comprehensive on-line initiatives. Cartoon Network will produce four original half-hour animated series through 2001, including SHEEP IN THE BIG CITY. This, their ninth original show, will premiere with 13 half-hour episodes in fall 2000.

Company Headline News

CINAR Co-Founders Exit With $122M Missing

In the continuing crisis at CINAR Corp., husband and wife co-founders, Micheline Charest and Ronald Weinberg, have stepped down after senior VP and CFO Hasanain Panju was fired when US$122 million was found to have disappeared into investments without board approval. With tax fraud allegations floating in the skies, Charest will leave her chairman and co-CEO seat, while Weinberg will give up his president and co-CEO position. The couple will remain as leaders and directors of the company.

Festival Headline News

WAC Director Leaves Festival

Two months before the WORLD ANIMATION CELEBRATION opens, festival director TRACY CROSSLEY has left "to pursue other interests." WAC has appointed a new director Danielle Robertson. "The team we have assembled to produce this year's event has an incredible amount of festival experience and has banded together to produce a memorable experience for everyone involved," said Robertson. "We appreciate the contributions Tracy had made and wish her the very best in all her future endeavors."

Film Headline News

Van Goethem Unexpectedly Passes

On Friday, March 3, 2000, Belgian animation film director and illustrator Nicole van Goethem passed away unexpectedly at the age of 58 in her hometown of Antwerp. The cause of death is unknown. Since 1974, Nicole van Goethem has worked on various animation productions, serving in the background, color selection and special effects fields. Among her credits, she participated in the feature length film TARZOON produced by Picha.

Festival Headline News

Bill Plympton Around the World

Bill Plympton has updated his

appearances page.

In the next months, his

films will be appearing in various festivals and other events around the

world. Bill will be attending the Newport Film Festival, Newport, RI, USA;

Annecy Animation Festival, Annecy, France; Florida Film Festival, Maitland,

FL, USA; and Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films, Zagreb, Croatia.

Festival Headline News

Store Specials: Brussels 2000 Cartoon and Animated Film Festival Catalogue

The 72-page festival catalog provides information in three languages

(French, Dutch, English) on all exhibitions, making of presentations,

retrospectives, biographies of festival guests, as well as technical,

production, story summary and distribution data on films. Available for

$6.00 plus s/h. The

Folioscope product

line includes a rare selection of videos, featuring pioneer Belgian

Time Headline News

Mickey Fears AOL/Warner Mega-Merger

On Thursday, March 2, 2000, South Carolina's Democratic Senator Ernest

Hollings of the Senate Commerce Committee told Time Warner CEO Gerald Levin

and AOL chairman Steve Case that the "Disney people are afraid to come

testify" about their concerns regarding the proposed merger of the two

companies. Hollings told Levin and Case, who were in Washington D.C.

testifying about their merger, that Disney is concerned that Time Warner

will retaliate against the company by relegating its cable networks to

Headline News

Salt Lake No Promised Land For God The Devil & Bob

The promised land of prime time nirvana will escape GOD THE DEVIL & BOB in

Salt Lake City, Utah, whose NBC affiliate has refused to air the network's

upcoming animated comedy. KSL-TV VP and general manager Al Henderson said

the station decided to pre-empt the "not-so-heavenly" toon because it "was

not very funny." "We didn't think it was written well," Henderson said. "We

found some of the humor tasteless." The new series follows the

misadventures of Detroit auto worker Bob Alman (voiced by French Stewart),

Headline News

3Dlabs Grows German Office

3Dlabs, Inc., a professional graphics firm, has expanded its presence in

Europe with a new office near Frankfurt, Germany. 3Dlabs plans to use the

new branch as a base for expanding its market coverage in Central Europe,

one of the largest markets for its workstation graphics products. In turn,

3Dlabs announced the appointment of Frank Losch as country manager. Mr.

Losch brings many years of marketing and sales expertise to the new

position. "The ability to increase market penetration of Oxygen workstation

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