AWN Headline News

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

Brazil's Justice Ministry has banned six video games it considers too

violent for the public. This ruling comes on the heals of last month's

deadly shooting rampage in a movie theater by a medical student. "The games

are considered violent and [are] affecting people who play them,

particularly children," a ministry spokeswoman said. "As for DUKE NUKEM,

the ministry regulation says its virtual world may have motivated Mateus da

Costa Meira to stage the cinema shooting on November 3 in Sao Paulo." All

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,

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

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.

Florida, U.S.-based AARGH! ANIMATION, Inc., one of the largest independentcel animation houses, has produced a series of national spots for Cold-Eezecold medicine that combine live-action with cel animation. The celanimation was directed by Mark Simon and Dave Kallaher of AARGH! Nowrunning and continuing through the cold season, these spots, three :10spots and two :30 spots, are running in heavy rotation on major U.S.networks. The spots feature live-action actors whose sneezes morph theminto animated characters.

Disney's television animation chief Charles Hirschhorn has been given theboot. The now former head of Walt Disney Television and Walt DisneyTelevision animation officially exited the position on Wednesday, December8, 1999. It's speculated that Hirschhorn's responsibilities at WONDERFULWORLD OF DISNEY will most likely be taken over by ABC movies andmini-series head Susan Lyne, while his duties for TV animation anddirect-to-video flicks will most likely be folded into the feature