AWN Headline News

Raven Moon Entertainment, Inc. is collaborating with Hacker-Rumsey Entertainment to develop and market a slate of three projects for television over the next two years. The first project on tap is a CG-animated kids' project called THE ICELY BROTHERS, a mix of live-action and animated characters. Hacker-Rumsey is completing the pilot and will begin domestic and international marketing in spring 2002.

San Francisco-based interactive 3D media provider Pulse has incorporated the ProductionSync and InstantSync technologies from Automatic Sync Technologies into their Pulse Animation Studio v. 5.03. ProductionSync is used in the Pulse Creator module as an off-line animation tool. Speech is converted into animation as a production step that an animator can then enhance with expressions, gestures and behaviors. InstantSync is used in the Pulse Player to animate a face in real-time in response to the speech, which can either be downloaded or streamed to the player via streaming audio.

David Stainton has been upped from his current position of executive vice president to president, Walt Disney Television Animation. Stainton's responsibilities include overseeing the day-to-day operations for the division's animated television series and specials, Disney video premieres and February theatrical features (sequels like RETURN TO NEVER LAND). He continues to report to Thomas Schumacher, head of Walt Disney Television Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation, in his new position.

Three months after its North American debut, the Xbox video game system launched in Japan on February 22, 2002. Bill Gates was on hand to present the first Xbox sold, and many gamers camped out overnight in the Shibuya District of Tokyo to make sure they were among the first in the country to get their hands on a console. Xbox is now on sale at thousands of Japanese retail outlets, and 12 game titles are available including PROJECT GOTHAM RACING, TENKU, JET SET RADIO FUTURE and DEAD OR ALIVE 3. A total of 22 titles are scheduled to be available in Japan by the end of March.

The 16th Annual Goya Awards, the Spanish Film Academys equivalent to the U.S. Academy Awards, were presented February 2, 2002. The awards honor Spanish produced films. Independent animated feature EL BOSQUE ANIMADO (THE LIVING FOREST) directed by Manolo Gómez & Angel de la Cruz won two awards, Best Original Song and Best Animated Film. The Best Animated Short Film was POLLO, directed by Manuel Sirgo.

Santa Monica-based visual effects house Company 3 has hired Henry artist and visual effects supervisor Alex Brodie and visual effects producer Christine Carr. Both arrive from 525 Post Production, which curtailed operations in December. Brodie has a list of high profile credits in music videos and commercials including recent efforts like the Garbage music video "Cherry Lips," which featured an "invisible" band. In the spot, Brodie removed the bands heads and limbs to make it appear as though empty suits were playing guitars and other instruments.

Cartoon Network will launch three pay-to-play games based on the SCOOBY-DOO cartoon series in early summer 2002, to coincide with the release of the SCOOBY DOO movie. Cartoon Network has partnered with mobile entertainment service provider Digital Bridges Ltd., to launch the Scooby mobile games and others based on Cartoon Network characters, throughout North America and Europe. The titles will encompass the entire range of current mobile gaming technologies available today including SMS, WAP, Java and BREW, allowing the vast majority of mobile handset owners the chance to enjoy the games.

The Sixth Annual MadCat Women's International Film Festival, San Francisco and Berkeley, California, USA.

Tuesday, September 3 - Friday, September 27, 2002.

Early Entry Deadline: Tuesday, April 30, 2002.

Final Entry Deadline: Thursday, June 20, 2002.

The British equivalent of the Academy Awards, the BAFTAs, were presented on February 24, 2002 at the Odeon Leicester Square in London. THE LORD OF THE RINGS won five awards, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Visual Effects. SHREK took the prize for Best Adapted Screenplay, beating four live-action films including LORD OF THE RINGS and Golden Globe adapted screenplay winner A BEAUTIFUL MIND. SHREK is nominated for an Academy Award in this same category. The BAFTA Award for Best Short Animation went to Suzie Templeton for her film DOG.

SportsBlast, the animation development company founded by voice-actor Nancy Cartwright (THE SIMPSONS, RUGRATS), has chosen Canadian-based animation house Bardel Entertainment as its new animation partner for THE KELLYS, the animated Web series about a family of professional stock car racers. Bardels production credits include the DreamWorks films JOSEPH: KING OF DREAMS and THE ROAD TO EL DORADO, as well as work for Columbia TriStar, Disney and Fox. Bardel will provide all the visual elements for THE KELLYS second season, which begins in February 2002.

Are you ready for more Smurfs? Because it looks like IMPS, the Belgian company that owns the worldwide license for Smurfs merchandising, is planning to create a new series of the cuddly blue creatures in Smurfy 3D. According to A&A computer systems, the technology provider to IMPS, the company is working on a pilot for a new Smurf series, which will possibly be produced in 3D. An IMPS representative stated that 3D "offers tremendous creative possibilities that have so far been unused in the Smurfs' cartoon world."

The January 2002 Acrobat issue of Animation World Magazine is now online! In this issue, we honor animation legends that passed away in 2001. Read tributes to Bill Hanna, Robert Abel, Maurice Nobel, Faith Hubley and Jan Lenica. Gene Deitch gives us a few tips about luck. Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman takes on live-action animated features, with a vengeance. Plus, take a look at four studios that have decided to produce their own independent animated features and find out why Lille, France is a hotbed of cutting-edge Web animation.