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AWN Headline News

Animation Headline News

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Series Headline News

Dick & Paula Back On FX

FX's offbeat series, THE DICK AND PAULA CELEBRITY SPECIAL, will return in

March with seven new episodes. Produced by Tom Snyder Productions, the show

follows Worcester, Massachusetts' favorite husband and wife talk show team.

The series features interviews with real and fictionalized characters,

including famous and even infamous historical figures. Some crazy moments

coming up on the series include: the first sighting of The Blair Witch as

she discusses her 10K Run for Testicular Cancer Awareness; Joan of Arc

Series Headline News

Stan Brakhage Screening

* Saturday, January 29 - Sunday, January 30, 2000. Ontario, Canada.

Cinematheque Ontario will present a series of screening of

animator/filmmaker Stan Brakhage's work. Since 1952, Brakhage has

experimented with manipulating celluloid by directly scratching,

hand-painting, etching and collage on its surface. What makes these works

so exquisite is the precision with which they are made. Brakhage's abstract

films are rewarding viewing for anyone interested in cameraless filmmaking

Work Headline News

Norman McLaren Screening

* Saturday, February 5, 2000. Ontario, Canada.

Cinematheque Ontario presents a screening of Canadian animator Norman

McLaren's work. McLaren was one of the most prolific and inventive figures

in abstract cinema and experimental animation. McLaren's greatest abstract

films from five decades of work will be shown like: BEGONE DULL CARE,

SPHERES, BLINKITY BLANK and SYNCHROMY. The event will be held in the Art

Gallery of Ontario's Jackman Hall at 2 pm. Jackman Hall Box Office opens 30

Animation Headline News

Round-Up: Recent International Gems

* Sunday, February 6, 2000. Ontario, Canada.

Cinematheque Ontario will present "Round-Up: Recent International Gems"

featuring animation and experimental films. The screening will include

British Columbia-based animator Richard Reeves' LINEAR DREAMS. Other works

on the programme explore different areas of abstraction outside the realm

of animation. Jackman Hall Box Office opens 30 minutes prior to the first

screening of the day. All screenings restricted to individuals 18 years of

Animation Headline News

Careers In Animation Lecture

* Tuesday, February 8, 2000. Glendale, CA, U.S.A.

Women in Animation, ASIFA-Hollywood and Glendale Community College proudly

present the Fourth Annual Lecture Series "Careers in Animation." This

year's presenter will be Frank Gladstone, head of Artistic Development at

DreamWorks SKG Animation. Gladstone has been a professional animator,

producer, director, writer and teacher for more than twenty-five years.

Between 1973 and 1989, he managed his own award-winning studio, Persistence

Headline News

CINAR Settles Wimzie Lawsuit

CINAR Corporation, makers of ARTHUR and THE BUSY WORLD OF RICHARD SCARRY,

have settled the lawsuit filed last year against them by the Jim Henson

Company. The lawsuit claimed that CINAR's WIMZIE'S HOUSE features puppets

that violate Jim Henson's copyright and trademark rights on their puppets.

In the settlement, CINAR and its licensees Eden LLC and Carson-Dellose

Publishing Company denied and continue to deny wrongdoing or liability for

infringement. The agreement, the terms of which are confidential, allows

Headline News

Raining Cats & Dogs At Warner

In the wake of Sony's success with STUART LITTLE, Warner Bros. has

greenlighted a live-action/animated feature, CATS AND DOGS. Recently,

Warner has been looking to see if it could get a quick family-flick

finished for a Christmas 2000 release, however it looks like the studio

will take its time and shoot for a 2001 holiday release for CATS AND DOGS.

The story follows the neighborhood war between cats and dogs that occurs

right underneath human's feet without them even noticing. Reuters reported

Million Headline News

Stuart Little Checks In At #4

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 26, 2000 at 12:00am

Sony's LITTLE hero slipped two spots to fourth place in the U.S. box office

behind live-action flicks NEXT FRIDAY, DOWN TO YOU and THE HURRICANE.

STUART LITTLE, with primary visual effects by Sony Pictures Imageworks,

additional animation by CFX and Rhythm & Hues, and miniatures by

Thunderstone, grossed US$6.41 million bringing its total to $117.1 million.

THE GREEN MILE, with primary visual effects by ILM, Rhythm & Hues, POP and

Matte World Digital, stayed in 5th place grossing $5.39 million bringing

Disney Headline News

"Independent" Disney's First Quarter Results

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 26, 2000 at 12:00am

The Walt Disney Company has announced its financial results for its

operations excluding its Internet business, GO.com. Disney pro forma

diluted earnings per share excluding GO.com were $0.25 for the quarter

ended December 31, 1999, a 9% increase over the prior year. Disney revenues

increased 5% to $6.8 billion and operating income increased 8% to $1.1

billion. Excluding the retained interest in GO.com, net income increased 7%

to $515 million. Broadcasting results for the quarter were driven up by

Story Headline News

Toy Story 2 Grabs The Globe

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 26, 2000 at 12:00am

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Golden Globes Awards shocked the

world by naming TOY STORY 2 the best comedy or musical picture of 1999. The Woody and Buzz Lightyear feature beat out heavy-weight live-action films like: favored best flick, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH; Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal's ANALYZE THIS; the Andy Kaufman bio-pic, MAN ON THE MOON; and mega-hit Julia Roberts-vehicle, NOTTING HILL. However, even though TOY

STORY 2 took home the honors, the television broadcast producers didn't

Disney Headline News

Disney Promotes Iger, Forms Exec Committee

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 26, 2000 at 12:00am

On January 24, 2000, Robert A. Iger was named president and chief operating

officer of The Walt Disney Co. as well as a member of its board of

directors. Previously, Iger served as chairman of the Disney-owned ABC

Group and president of Walt Disney International, Disney's overseas

business division. Michael Eisner, Walt Disney's chairman and CEO, also

announced the promotion of Chief Strategic Officer Peter E. Murphy and

Chief Financial Officer Thomas O. Staggs, to the positions of senior

Animation Headline News

digitalcharactergroup Celebrates First Anniversary

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 26, 2000 at 12:00am

SOUTH PARK producer David Niles White and SPACE JAM's producer Ron Tippe

are celebrating the first year anniversary of their digital animation

house, digitalcharactergroup. Previously White was the vice president of

digital animation at Film Roman. Working in the industry for over 20 years,

White has designed the multi-media projects that have brought Mattel's

Barbie to life and played a key role in bringing SOUTH PARK to the small

screen. The 27-year industry vet, Tippe, produced Disney's Academy

Animation Headline News

Lacroix Fades From Fantome

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 26, 2000 at 12:00am

Fantome, one of Europe's premier producers of 3D animation, was founded in

1985 by Georges Lacroix. Fantome has gained an international reputation,

and garnered more than 40 international prizes, including an Emmy. Its most

notable credits are: THE GEOMETRIC FABLES (50 x 3 minutes), the first

computer-generated animation series ever made, and INSEKTORS (26 x 13 min)

which has sold in more than 160 countries. In 1998 after being faced with

Headline News

Edit Concepts Promotes Reisner

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 26, 2000 at 12:00am

Assistant editor JESSE REISNER has moved up to editor at New York-based

EDITING CONCEPTS. Reisner holds a BFA degree in visual arts from Brown

University. Despite his impressive academic career, he credits the staff at

Editing Concepts with the bulk of his education and technical experience.

Reisner's first national spot "Puppy Love," for Casio via Della

Femina/Jeary and Partners, debuted recently. His earlier work includes

regional spots for Bob Stores (KGA Advertising, CT, Spencer Antle

Headline News

CYBERWORLD Nets Paul Lypaczewski

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 26, 2000 at 12:00am

CYBERWORLD INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, a new-media company, has announced

that PAUL LYPACZEWSKI has joined the company as senior vice president of

strategic business & product development. Lypaczewski will oversee the

strategic business and product development group within CYBERWORLD to

further develop the company's software technology. Lypaczewski will also

help build strategic industry relationships to help make CYBERWORLD the

dominant provider of interactive Internet-based multimedia. Lypaczewski

Effects Headline News

RE:Vision Effects Announced ReelSmart Motion Blur

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 26, 2000 at 12:00am

RE:Vision Effects recently released ReelSmart Motion Blur, a plug-in for

After Effects 4.0, Commotion 2.0+ and Final Cut Pro. The plug-in is

designed to apply more natural looking motion blur to effects shots and

video sequences within After Effects. ReelSmart Motion Blur automatically

tracks every pixel in the shot which takes the handy-work out of the

process. Features include reduced strobing, fewer artifacts, and a tool

which lets one blur one image sequence using the motion of another

Series Headline News

BOXX Delivers RenderBOXX

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 26, 2000 at 12:00am

BOXX Technologies recently unveiled their RenderBOXX NT and Linux rendering

system, which relies on Intel Pentium III 800MHz processors to 'bolster'

rendering times. Currently shipping is the RenderBOXX 4000 series with

single or dual processors, and a price tag starting from US$2365. The focus

of the 4000 series is to streamline workflow for visual effects and video

game professionals, and because RenderBOXX is very easy to set, has a

completely open rendering system (it does not require special rendering

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