AWN Headline News

Another Japanese import comes to NATPE via Nelvana. BEYBLADE is a 51-episode animé series acquired from D-Rights, Inc. BEYBLADE tells the story of a boy who learns to harness the power of his ancestors to perfect his technique in the sport of Beyblade. The heroes bond as they battle their way to the world championship. Nelvana will be located in Booth #3025.

Redmond, Washington's Caldwell Publishing is looking for a MAYA ANIMATOR . . . EmailYourCV is looking for a GAMES ARTIST/ANIMATOR . . . Atlanta, Georgia's Fathom Studios is looking for a CHARACTER ANIMATOR . . . Los Angeles, California's GSA is looking for a REPRESENTATIVE . . . Newcastle, UK's Probe IT is looking for a 3D ANIMATOR/MODELLER . . . Madrid, Spain's Tabano Animation is looking for a LAYOUT ARTIST . . . New York, New York's The Filmmakers is looking for a 3D ANIMATOR . . . Los Angeles, California's Titmouse, Inc is looking for an ARTIST . . .

Twenty-one Academy Awards for scientific and technical achievement will be presented on March 2, 2002 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Out of the 14 Technical Achievement Awards, presented as certificates, the following recipients will be honored for creating technology used in the field of animation and visual effects. The awards are presented based upon recommendations from the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee, chaired by Academy visual effects branch governor Richard Edlund.

The beta release of Toon Boom Studio 1.1 for Mac OS X is now available. The latest version of Toon Boom Technologies 2D desktop application can now export animations as iMovie projects or add them to existing iMovie projects. This release also simplifies the workflow required to create an animated movie using Toon Boom Studio to draw and animate personalized characters and objects. The final release of Toon Boom Studio 1.1 will be available at the end of January 2002.

Kansas City Jubilee 2002 - US/International Short Film Division, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

Sunday, April 7, 2002 Sunday, April 14, 2002.

Entry Deadline: January 15, 2002.

For submissions in the below categories, all entries must be 30 minutes or under. Work may originate in any film, video or digital medium unless otherwise noted. Cash or inkind prizes are awarded for first place in each division & genre. A single work may be entered in multiple divisions with separate entry forms and screener tapes (VHS NTSC).

Nintendo will showcase its GameCube video console at Milia 2002, weeks before its initial European launch. The video game set-top was released in the United States and Japan in 2001 and has sold nearly 1.5 million units in North America alone. Nintendo will preview GameCube along with 20 new games including LUIGIS MANSION, PIKMIN, STAR WARS ROGUE SQUADRON 2: ROGUE LEADER and SONIC ADVENTURE 2. Milia visitors will receive the exclusive European preview of GameCube at the Milia 2002 conference held February 48, 2002 at the Palais de Festivals in Cannes, France.

Playground, the recently launched digital design and production studio, has produced a fully computer animated television spot for information services company EMC that compares data management to a golf ball. Designed by Playground creative director Craig Price for Boston agency Arnold Worldwide, "Golf" debuted during the November World Golf Championship-EMC World Cup telecast. The spot begins like a sports promo as a golf ball arcs over the fairway. A closer look reveals that this is no ordinary ball, as its dimples are shaped like monitors and in a moment it has shot into space.

Scholastic Corporation has acquired Tom Snyder Productions from Canadian-based publishing company Torstar Corporation for US$9 million. Included in the purchase is the companys television animation production division Soup2Nuts, producers of Comedy Centrals DR. KATZ and Cartoon Networks HOME MOVIES. Tom Snyder Productions, a leading developer and publisher of award-winning educational software will be part of the interactive educational software division reporting to Margery Mayer, executive vice president of learning ventures.

Peter Moss is stepping down as president of Cinar Corporation. Moss, who has been with Cinar since March 2000, will be focusing on independent production. He will continue as a consultant to Cinar on creative and production matters. "This has been a very demanding period for Cinar, but I am pleased that we have been able to maintain creative and production excellence through this time," said Moss. "We have brought home prestigious international awards (Emmy, Parent's Choice and Peabody Awards) and delivered three of the top ten shows for pre-school in the U.S.

For Saatchi & Saatchis "Unleash the Power of the Sun" campaign for Sunny Delight, Charlex produced two 15-second spots integrating 3D animation with filmed action by director Michael Schrom. The fast-moving 15-second spots, called "Choker" and "Escape Artist," get right to the point, showing a chained beverage breaking loose from its bonds, and a straight-jacketed bottle escaping from its constraints. The spots, aimed at a "tween" audience, began airing nationally on December 3.

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, comics creators shared their talents by lauding the firemen, policemen, medical technicians and everyday citizens that were the real-life heroes of September 11. Numerous anthologies of artwork commemorating September 11 have been created including Marvel Comics HEROES and A MOMENT OF SILENCE, Alternative Comics 9-11: EMERGENCY RELIEF trade paperback anthology, and Dark Horse and DC Comics SEPTEMBER 11 two-volume set. Now some of this artwork will be on display beginning January 22, 2002 in New York City.

Each week, Animation World Magazine offers new articles, special features and theme-based coverage of the art, craft and industry of animation. New this week:

- The Art of Monsters, Inc.Jerry Beck reviews The Art of Monsters, Inc., which showcases the film's development and concept art in all its glory. Get a peep at some of the industry's best in these 144 pages of inspiration.