Animation World Magazine, Issue 3.4, July 1998


Business

Microsoft Sells Softimage To Avid. Softimage, a 12-year-old animation and graphics software company which became a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation in 1994, will merge with Avid Technology, makers of the Avid Media Composer and Symphony editing systems, forming one company. Microsoft has sold Softimage to Avid for a combined $285 million, part of which is Avid stock, so Microsoft will retain significant equity in the company. Montreal, Canada-based Softimage, makers of Softimage 3D, Toonz (2-D) and the new, "next-generation" Sumatra 3-D animation software will now be responsible for Avid's overall high-end graphics and effects business. Softimage president Moshe Lichtman said, "A focused effort will get underway to incorporate mutual technologies and architectures in future products with the goal of building the broadest, most integrated product line on this planet. As we look ahead, we feel very strongly that Softimage, in combination with Avid, is in the most powerful position in its history to fully realize our Digital Studio vision and to deliver the most powerful, integrated production environment to our customers."

Anime On Trial! On June 23, Tibor Clerdouet, Yvan West Laurence and Cedric Littardi were put on trial in the High Court (Tribunal de Grande Instance) in Paris on the charges because they were previous publishers and/or editors of AnimeLand, an eight-year-old French magazine about animation. The three men are facing charges that the magazine violated the French Law 49-956, billed nearly 50 years ago, which states that publications believed to be "aimed at youth" must not contain "any illustration, any tale, any chronicle, any heading, any insert presenting under a favorable light banditism, lies, theft, laziness, cowardice, hate, debauchery or any act qualified as crime or offense or of a nature to demoralize childhood or youth or to foster or keep going ethnic prejudice." The standard penalty for bypassing this are a year in prison and a fee equivalent to U.S. $5000. AnimeLand, which often features images from adult-oriented Japanese anime, claims to be a publication aimed at and read by adults, not children. However, the challenge they face in court is to prove that an adult audience for animation exists. "This trial is a good occasion to fight for the image of animation as a media beyond kids," said Cedric Littardi, one of the men on trial who is seeking letters of support and advice from people in the animation community. He may be contacted by e-mail at kaze@planete.net.

Mr. Littardi has also written an article about the case, which is included in this issue of Animation World Magazine.

 
Sunbow's Fat Dog Mendoza will be the first in a series of co-productions partially financed by Cartoon Network Europe. © Sunbow Entertainment.
Sunbow & Cartoon Network Deal. Cartoon Network U.K. has formed a co-production arrangement with Sunbow Entertainment, an independent production company recently acquired by Sony Wonder. In the multi-year deal, Cartoon Network will invest in international co-production of animated series including Fat Dog Mendoza for air in 1999. Additional co-production partners for this series are planned. "We have significantly grown our audience across Europe since our launch four years ago and it was always our intention to introduce original commissioned series," said Lynne Frank, senior vice president and general manager of Turner Entertainment Networks International Limited.

Cinar Acquires Another Publisher. Montreal, Canada-based Cinar Films Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.A.-based publisher HighReach Learning, Inc. for U.S. $18 million and Cinar stock. HighReach is an 11-year-old company which specializes in publishing educational materials for pre-school children. Last year, Cinar acquired Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, launching its educational product division. The division is now called Cinar Education and is headed up by recently-appointed president Hasanian Panju, previously chief financial officer of Cinar Films. Cinar president and CEO Ronald A. Weinberg said, "Several fundamental trends underscore the high growth potential of the educational market, such as the growing school-age population, increased private and public investment in education heightened educational standards and the growing use of technology in the classroom." Cinar has built a library of animated series based on children's books, including Arthur and The Busy World of Richard Scarry.

Note: Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail to editor@awn.com.

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