Activision, Inc. announced on April 12, 2001 that it will release the next installment of the best-selling skateboarding franchise of all time, TONY HAWK'S PRO SKATER, on six platforms -- the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, Xbox video game system, Game Boy Advance, PC, PlayStation game console and Game Boy Color.
Wallcoverings designer 4walls.com has announced a licensing agreement to create and distribute murals and other wallcoverings based on characters from Infogrames, Inc.'s Humongous Entertainment division. The Humongous Entertainment line of wallcoverings from 4walls.com is now available in stores nationwide. "We are very excited to bring Putt-Putt, Pajama Sam and the Backyard Kids' to the walls of children everywhere," said Ronald Soeder, president of 4walls.com.
Big Idea Productions, creators of the made-for-video series VEGGIETALES, has teamed up with Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, for a chain-wide promotion of VEGGIETALES apparel, toys, videos, audio CDs and fabric. During April, more than 2,700 Wal-Mart stores across the United States will feature VeggieTales signage and merchandise. Shari Martin, executive director of licensing and consumer products for Big Idea Productions, said, "We are so excited to participate in this promotion with Wal-Mart, which clearly demonstrates how VEGGIETALES' popularity is exploding across the country.
In the competition at Cartoons on the Bay, Folimages imaginative SPUD AND THE VEGETABLE GARDEN took home three prizes. The 5th Cartoons On The Bay International Festival of Television Animation was held in Positano (Amalfi Coast), Italy from April 5 - 9. Cartoons on the Bay is the only festival in the world dedicated to television animation. The festival is an international event with awards, workshops, lectures and events centering on the ever-changing world of television animation.
* Friday, April 13 Friday, May 4, 2001. Online.
* Friday, May 11 Friday, June 1, 2001. Online.
Sothebys.com is holding a two-part online auction of original, pre-World War II animation art, primarily Disney art purchased in private transactions directly from the animators themselves over a 22 year period. Almost all of the artwork will be seen publicly for the first time (except, of course, as it appears in the actual movies). For more information, visit the Jeff Lotman Animation Art auction at: Web: www.sothebys.com
* Preview: Thursday, May 17 Friday, May 18, 2001. New York City, New York, U.S.A.
* Auction: Saturday, May 19, 2001. New York City, New York, U.S.A.
* Friday, April 27- Sunday, April 29, 2001. Utica, Illinois, U.S.A.
ASIFA-Central is having its ninth annual Animators Conference and Retreat. Events include presentations, workshops, animation screenings, networking time, outdoor BBQ and a late night Animator's Bonfire! Registrations accepted onsite for the weekend or for Saturday only. Utica is located on the Illinois River, 90 miles west of Chicago (90 minutes), at I-80 near I-39 (Illinois Rte 51). For more information contact Melissa Bouwman at: Email: asifa_central@hotmail.com.
* Saturday, April 28, 2001. San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
* Thursday, May 10, 2001. Westwood, California, U.S.A.
The Women In Animation Writers Seminar Series will host Jack Enyart, development consultant, who has developed and written projects for virtually every major Hollywood cartoon studio. For more information or to RSVP, contact Jean Ann Wright at: Tel.: (818) 360-8321; or Email: jjwright@gte.net.
Learn more about Women In Animation by visiting their Website at womeninanimation.org.
* Monday, May 7 Friday, May 11, 2001. Glendale, California, U.S.A.
* Friday, April 20, 2001. Burbank, California, U.S.A.
Back by popular demand! It's the ASIFA-East Animation Awards, a two-hour reel of the best independent shorts and commercials from the East Coast! The screening starts at 7:30 pm. The entry fee will be US$2 for members and $5 for non-members. Seating is limited. For more information contact ASIFA-Hollywood at: 721 S. Victory Blvd., Burbank, CA 91502; Tel.: (818) 842-8330; or Web: www.asifa-hollywood.org.
* Friday, January 25 Sunday, January 27, 2002. Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.
Early Deadline: June 1, 2001
Late Deadline: October 1, 2001
* Monday, June 11, 2001. Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
Entry Deadline: May 19, 2001
Fans of THE SIMPSONS can now grapple, pile drive and body slam their way across Springfield as Activision, Inc. announced the release of THE SIMPSONS WRESTLING for the PlayStation game console. The game, produced by Fox Interactive and developed by Big Ape, has been given a "T" for Teen rating by the ESRB. THE SIMPSONS WRESTLING game is being published and distributed in North America by Activision, Inc. and is currently available at retail locations nationwide for a suggested retail price of $39.99.
Emmy-nominated director Chris Prynoski, best known for his work on BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD DO AMERICA and the animated series MTV DOWNTOWN, has completed animation work on Tom Green's upcoming feature film FREDDY GOT FINGERED. In the film, Green plays a bizarre animator who desperately tries to win his father's approval. Prynoski, known for his edgy, underground style, provides animation that launches Green's skewed creations onto the big screen.
UNDERGRADS, a new animated series, will premier on MTV this Sunday, April 22, at 8 pm. Co-produced by Torontos Decode and MTV Animation, the series launch also includes a Website featuring Flash animated series out-takes, interactive animated games, character home pages, downloadable applications, weekly video clips, message boards and a chat area. Decode, which also owns the international television and video distribution rights, is launching a companion UNDERGRADS Web page for the international market.
In celebration of the tenth anniversary of the series, Nickelodeon will be broadcasting a special viewer's all-time 10 favorites RUGRATS marathon on Saturday, April 21, from 4:30 pm - 8 pm ET/PT. During the months of January through March, the network aired every episode of the series every produced. Viewers were invited to rate each episode on Nick.com. Voter tallies will determine the top 10 episodes. The top 10 will air in order, with the all-time favorite episode airing immediately preceeding the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.
John B. VanBorssum has been named to the Board of Directors of character animation house Cornerstone Animation Inc. Currently the managing principal of Fiderus Strategic Security and Privacy Services, VanBorssum has more than 25 years experience in finance, technology and information systems, with such firms as First Union Securities, Arthur Andersen LLP, BankAmerica Corporation and Security Pacific Corporation. According to Larry D.
3D animator Lawrence Nimrichter has joined digital studio Spontaneous Combustion. Prior to Spontaneous, Nimrichter spent five years as an animator and technical director at Atomic Pictures in San Antonio, where he worked on commercial projects for Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Co., Corona, Sony, Televisa, Kraft, Procter & Gamble, Tecate, JC Penney, and agencies including McCann Erickson (Mexico City), JWT (Mexico City), Bromley Communications (San Antonio, TX) and Alazraki y Asociados (Mexico City), among others.
New Yorks Cyclotron has completed work on a new 30 second commercial for Visa, which debuted during the March, 2001 Daytona 500, and will continue to air throughout the current NASCAR season. The spot, titled Nature, opens with a father answering his young son's questions about the local flora and fauna. They watch a moth delicately alight from a dandelion, only to be splattered over the windshield of a racing car. The tranquility shattered, the shot widens to reveal the pair standing in the infield of the Daytona International Speedway.
The final beta version of Silicon Grails RAYZ multi-platform compositing software is now available for public beta testing. The beta-testing period will last through April 22, 2001 when RAYZ will be officially launched at NAB. The software is available in versions for SGI IRIX, SGI IRIX (64 bit), Windows NT/Windows 2000, Intel Linux and Alpha Linux. The product is resolution independent making it equally suitable for feature film, large format film, HDTV and standard definition video projects.
Ascension Technology has announced the addition of the X-IST FaceTracker to their line-up of motion-capture tracking devices. The X-IST FaceTracker is a lightweight, head-coupled facial expression tracker using 36 reflective markers to collect real-time motion data on strategic locations such as lips, cheeks and eyelids. Its automatic search, labeling and marker tracking are designed to accelerate production time. The real-time data, transferred to an animation workstation, integrates with Filmbox, Maya, Typhoon, Softimage and other leading software programs.
In this issue, Animation World Magazine kicks off Catherine Winder andZahra Dowlatabadi's new book "Producing Animation" with a specialindepth look at how animation is produced. From feature films totelevision from Europe to the U.S. we detail how schedules andbudgets are put together. Sylvia Edwards compares traditionalanimation television show schedules and budgets to CGI TV series, arapidly growing trend. Feature film producer Steve Walsh takes usinside putting together a European feature film, while Evan Backus
Barcelona, Spain's Acció is looking for a 2D ANIMATOR to work onfeature films. . . New York, New York's C-Traze Studios, a TV filmproduction company, is looking for a SALES ASSOCIATE. . . Miami,Florida's Demand Creation, Inc. is looking for a CONTRACT ANIMATOR tocreate 25 to 50 new clips per month. . . Greensburg, Pennsylvania'sDreamForge Intertainment is looking for a MODELER/TEXTURE ARTIST towork on an action/adventure Xbox title. . . North Hollywood, California's
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