Vol. 3 Issue 6 SeptemberSeptember 19981998 Television & Post-Production Corto Maltese Comes to TV WhatÕs New on the Tube? Disney Television and Archives

Animation International Dubbing Writers Unite TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEPTEMBER 1998 VOL.3 NO.6 2 Table of Contents September 1998 Vol. 3, No. 6

4 Editor’s Notebook Expanding television...

5 Letters: [email protected]

6 Dig This! Complicated computers are used to simulate the simple cut-out animation technique on South Park and Blue’s Clues.

TELEVISION

8 Tooning in the 1998 Fall Season Joseph K. Bevilacqua highlights what’s new in animation for the U.S. 1998/99 television season, from CBS to Cartoon Network.

1998 17 Disney’s Little Big Screen:Turning Animated Features Into TV Series Like clockwork, Disney’s big screen adventures turn up on television. Mike Lyons reveals the mechanism behind this marketing plan.

20 The Color In Mind: Corto Maltese Europe’s favorite adventurer, Corto Maltese, is coming to television town. Russell Bekins investigates how Hugo Pratt’s graphic novels are being adapted. Includes a Quicktime movie.

25 Giuseppe Laganà and Animation in Italy: Rebuilding an Industry Russell Bekins takes us inside Giuseppe Laganà’s Italian studio, Animation Band, Ellipse’s production part- ner on Corto Maltese.

27 Better For All Concerned:The Writers Guild of America’s Animation Writers Caucus Hot on the heels of a major break through, Craig Miller discusses the goals of the Animation Writers Cau- cus.

31 Waste Management in Animation Laws have been made and the environment should be on everyone’s mind. Environmentalist Lesli Rynyk explains the Canadian Waste Management Act and subsequent Animation Waste Management Plan designed to decrease waste at Canuck Creations.

POST-PRODUCTION

35 International Theatrical Dubbing: It’s More Than Meets the Eye Debra Chinn outlines the unsung world of international theatrical dubbing. Getting Anastasia to sing in 28 languages is no easy task...Includes a Quicktime movie.

39 3D Meets Reality! EPTEMBER Compositing 3D elements into live-action footage is a very important facet of post-production. Bill Flem- ing instructs us on how to get it just right.

OTHER S

44 Here’s A How de do Diary: June What’s going on with Barry Purves and his Channel 4 production? Find out in this month’s installment.

© Animation World Network 1998. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEPTEMBER 1998 VOL.3 NO.6 THE STUDENT CORNER

48 Roots:An Experiment in Images and Music Bärbel Neubauer divulges her creative process and discusses the production of Roots, an experimental film mixing images and sound. Includes a Quicktime movie. FESTIVALS, EVENTS

50 Comic-Con:Where Comics Are King Pete Nicholls traveled to San Diego to report on Comic-Con in a year when comics reigned and anima- tion was strangely missing...

52 Anima Mundi:The Audience is Key Edmundo Barrieros relays the events of Brazil’s Anima Mundi, possibly the world’s most energetic and enthusiastic festival.

FILMS

54 The Film Strip Tells All

1998 William Moritz discusses Richard Reeves’ Linear Dreams and Bärbel Neubauer’s Moonlight and helps to put them in perspective. Includes Quicktime movies of both films. SOFTWARE

57 Dreamweaver is Pretty Darn Dreamy Macromedia’s Dreamweaver impressed Dan Sarto. Read on for why this web authoring tool is hard to beat.

60 Fireworks: Does it Have a Special Spark? Webmaster Ged Bauer gives Macromedia’s Fireworks a try to determine whether it is the “all-in-one-be-all- end-all” web graphics application that it claims to be.

HIDDEN TREASURES

62 Inside Disney:The Archives and Animation Research Library Katie Mason interviews the folks behind preserving Disney’s history and artwork at the Walt Disney Archives and Animation Research Library.

NEWS

66 Animation World News Writers Make Prime-Time Pact With Fox, Anne Sweeney Tops Disney/ABC Cable Networks, Fantastic Plan- et in Rotation and more...

82 On A Desert Island With. . . .TV Toon Talents Tony Craig, Roberts Gannaway and Pascal Morell

83 Next Issue’s Highlights

This Month’s Contributors EPTEMBER

Cover: Corto Maltese will come to television for the first time as an animated series. Learn more in Rus- sell Bekins’ article, “The Color In Mind: Corto Maltese.” © Ellipse Program/Imedia/ConG. All Rights

S Reserved.

© Animation World Network 1998. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network.

© Animation World Network 1998. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 3 by Heather Kenyon Expanding television... have long feared Caucus.”There is an the inevitable reces- ongoing struggle ell, the fall season is sion. First the between artists and upon us once again. The expansion was in writers that is unique Wmost notable mark this features, then it was to animation and that year is the expansion of animation in home video, has been heightened into prime-time. While The Flint- now it is in prime- in the last few years. stones started the world of prime- time animation. We Some shows are time animation, no one has have been saved heavily writer-based, revived it, and profited from it, like from heavy reces- causing storyboard Fox. Ready to expand its current sions and have artists to feel very put- success, Fox is adding three prime- experienced out indeed. Still, time shows this year: Futurama, growth due to new other shows let the Family Guy and The PJs are all outlets continually opening up. artists have their way...and some- being introduced mid-season. Prime-time could be our next sav- time these shows wander without That’s quite an influx! However, ior and even offer another chance a sturdy foundation. With the there is more. The success of to expand. Here’s hoping these influx of live-action personnel into shows like The Simpsons, which is new prime-time shows are every- animation this misunderstanding a tremendously popular phenom- thing they are cracked up to be has only grown. Live-action folks enon whether we are talking live- and that the audience responds in often want to see the final script! action or animation, and King of kind! Not understanding that in anima- the Hill, have inspired others to This is also the second sea- tion a final storyboard is more take part in the game. Comedy son of FCC-friendly programming close to the actual final show than Central was one of the first to take in the U.S. Despite all the panic any script. Naturally, in a healthy the plunge with Dr. Katz and and suspicion that children were situation it is a blending of writing South Park. Their risks have proven going to turn away from the tube and ‘boarding that makes a suc- profitable. South Park has been a in droves, Disney and ABC have cessful product and each produc- huge victory for them, grabbing proven that pro-social program- tion needs to find its own middle the network’s highest ratings to ming can be popular—and the ground. date. Now, Bob and Margaret ratings agree. Children haven’t Kudos also go to the Walt promises to be another, albeit less turned off. In fact, good shows are Disney Company for avidly pre- crude, hit. Furthermore, with just plain good shows and if the serving their history. There is no almost simultaneous Canadian, stories and characters are engag- doubt that when we consider ani- U.K. and U.S. distribution Bob and ing, children will watch and, hey, mation we have to discuss Disney. Margaret could be an internation- maybe even learn something. I’d like to thank them for seriously al success early in its airing career. The Writers Guild of Ameri- archiving their history and art- Now even NBC, a major U.S. net- ca’s Animation Writers Caucus also work. These materials are a work, is getting involved by airing deserves congratulating this tremendous resource, not only to the U.K.’s Stressed Eric. What is month as they have struck a deal Disney historians, but all anima- interesting to note is that instead with Fox’s prime-time schedule to tion scholars. To learn more about of Bob and Margaret and Stressed represent the network’s animation their collections, please read Katie Eric being spawned in the U.S. writers, offering them a new Mason’s “Inside Disney: The and then distributed globally, round of benefits. Long under the Archives and Animation Research these are co-production deals that artists’ MPSC banner, this signing Library.” are bringing these shows to multi- delineates a shift as explained by ple, international outlets at once. Craig Miller in his article “Better For Until next time, We have long heard of the All Concerned: The Writers Guild Heather booming animation field and we of America’s Animation Writers ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 4 [email protected] The Animated Film Collector’s tion values of what Mr. Beck has still return to China on a regular Guide Clarification listed, I think both these books basis to conduct business for ani- In his review of my book, would be helpful. One is How to mation. I am thrilled every time I The Animated Film Collector’s Draw Animation Storyboards by return to cities like Shanghai. Guide (Townsend 3.5) Emru Bob Singer, published by Comic I want to thank you for Townsend states that it “aims to be Art Publications. While the produc- finally publishing some serious the collector’s bible, replacing our tion on this book, admittedly, is pieces on animation production in dog-eared Whole Toon catalogs poor, the information it provides to Asia. There is a great deal of work as reference material.” The Whole the novice is very educational. It and hard effort that is done over Toon catalog was still defunct includes chapters on staging and here and most of the Western when I began writing, but it was planning storyboards for psycho- public has no idea that the anima- never my intention to replace it logical effect and continuity to the tion they are watching is pro- with my book. The Animated Film script. It also contains storyboards duced in Asia. China is quickly Collector’s Guide should be by Singer, Moebius, Floro Dery, becoming a powerhouse in this regarded as a supplement to, not Will Meugniot and Alex Toth. industry and will continue to a replacement of, Whole Toon. And speaking of Alex grow. Later this month Beijing will I wrote my guide as a com- Toth...Alex Toth: By Design written host their animation convention panion to Giannalberto Bendazzi’s by Alex Toth and Darrell McNeil, where outside industries and local Cartoons and Leonard Maltin’s Of published by Gold Medal Publica- producers will get together and Mice and Magic. After reading tions, is an excellent visual history compare notes on the ever- these books, I wanted to see the of Toth’s career in animation expanding business of animation films described by Bendazzi and including models of characters in China. I will be there. Maltin, but had a hard time locat- and props from many Hanna-Bar- Again, thanks for the article ing them because, while a surpris- bera series including Space Ghost, Milt! ingly large number are available Jonny Quest, Sealab 2020, The on video, many are hidden away Three Musketeers and Super Best Regards, in compilations. Other titles are Friends. Also included is a story- Rick Allen available only from obscure board sequence from Super sources such as foreign, indepen- Friends. The massive amount of dent, and educational distributors, work Toth did in the field can be the filmmakers themselves, or are enlightening and intimidating at Mulan Retort out-of-print. Most of the films avail- the same time. I hope you don’t In response to Andy Klein’s able from these sources are not mind my referring to these addi- review of Mulan (Klein 3.3): listed by Whole Toon., but com- tional books, but these should def- Eddie Murphy was pretty prise about half of the information initely be in the essential anima- darn funny in Mulan. If you ask in my book. The other half will tion library. me, he made that movie. To say lead you to Whole Toon., the best he was not as funny as James single place to buy animation on Sincerely, Woods in Hercules is, well, pretty video. Neil Hansen lame. Mulan has more heart to it Sincerely, than Hercules. The fact that David Kilmer Kudos on Asian Issue Mushu confesses to Mulan in her I found the article “China- time of desperation was a great The Awakening Giant: Animation turning point for the character And Broadcasting In The Main- and gave a little more dimension Two More Additions land” (Vallas 3.5) by Milt Vallas very than would be afforded other- There are two additional informative and enjoyable as it wise. Mushu was a great lead-in books that can be recommended reminded me of many experiences for the audience and a mirror for in terms of Jerry Beck’s June article and hardships I have gone Mulan. “The Essential Animation Refer- through in the past and continue ence Library” (Beck 3.3) While they to go through today. I have been Sincerely, probably don’t have the produc- working in China since 1990 and Olun Riley ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 5 Dig This! Using computers to simulate cut-out animation techniques on South Park and Blue’s Clues. by Wendy Jackson n this age of technology, many Even storyboards are created in “old-fashioned” animation tech- Quark, so that they can be revised Iniques have been abandoned after various stages of the show’s for computer-generated imagery. extensive kid-testing process. However, a new trend is emerg- While live-action is being shot on ing, one which uses the computer video (against a green-screen, as a tool to achieve the look of old- color-key background), artists cre- fashioned techniques while taking ate props and characters out of advantage of the ease of produc- clay and simple materials, then tion that technology offers. photograph them with a digital

Case in point: South Park South Park. © Comedy Central. camera. The images are then and Blue’s Clues. “What could cleaned-up and dressed-up, a these two radically different generated characters are animat- process series co-creator and shows—one for adults and one ed. Even the texture of construc- designer Traci Paige-Johnson calls for pre-schoolers—have in com- tion paper is applied in the com- making the images “yummy,” then mon?,” you may ask. The answer puter, and that “no-platen” shad- imported to After Effects where is that they both use computer ani- ow look is achieved by separating they are animated and composit- mation software to create a look the character’s parts with a small ed with the live-action footage. that many uninformed viewers layer of space as would occur in Series co-creator and executive assume is the product of painstak- real cut-out animation, which is, in producer Todd Kessler said that ing cut-out animation. What most case you were wondering, the technique Trey Parker and Matt people don’t know is that quite a Both Blue’s Clues and South Stone used to create The Spirit of bit of technology is at work to Park creators use the comput- Christmas, the animated short that achieve that “home-grown” look, er as a very sophisticated spawned the Comedy Central shadows, textures and all. camera... series. Monica Mitchell, a produc- tion manager on South Park, Time and flexibility are the pointed out that it would have when the show was being devel- bottom line. - Monica Mitchell been nearly impossible to produce oped, the technology decisions the show with construction paper. came out of the needs of the con- “Time and flexibility are the bottom tent. “The whole idea behind line,” she said, noting that going ‘low-tech’ and animating on South Park changes to the show are often desktop computers was to spend At a production studio hid- made the day before broadcast. as little as possible on equipment, den away in Marina Del Rey, Cali- so that we could spend the largest fornia, animators and technical Blue’s Clues portion of our budget on creative directors on the South Park TV At Nickelodeon’s digital stu- talent.” Nickelodeon recently start- show and feature film use high- dio in New York, animators on ed production on a new series end equipment: Silicon Graphics Blue’s Clues are using Macintosh called Little Bill which will employ workstations running Alias|Wave- computers running Photoshop the Blue’s Clues process. front’s PowerAnimator software to and Adobe After Effects software Both Blue’s Clues and create a virtual plane—in 3D to combine animated sets and South Park creators use the com- space—on which “flat” computer- characters with a live-action host. puter as a very sophisticated cam- ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 6 era which enables the production process to be broken down into stages that can be handled by dif- ferent teams of people: story- boards, design and layout, lip- sync, and animation. Both shows use relatively small production teams—ranging from 15 to 30 people per episode, compared to the huge staffs, both in-house and overseas, needed to produce a typical 2D or cel-animated series. We can expect to see more of this kind of computer use in anima- tion, blurring the line between CGI and traditional animation, and breaking through once-prohibitive cost and time barriers.

When Blue’s Clues was being developed, the technology Blue’s Clues. © Nickelodeon. decisions came out of the needs of the content ucts or works-in-progress today. You dig? Wendy Jackson is associate editor of Animation World Magazine. What else should we dig? Every Editor month, Animation World Maga- Animation World Magazine Note: Readers may contact any zine will highlight the most inter- 6525 Sunset Blvd. Garden Ste. 10 Animation World Magazine con- esting, exciting happenings in ani- Hollywood, CA 90028 U.S.A. tributor by sending an e-mail to mation, in “Dig This!” Send us your E-mail: [email protected]. ideas, suggestions, videos, prod- [email protected].

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ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 7 Tooning in the 1998 Fall Season by Joseph K. Bevilacqua

ne year after the United reported to have States federal government occurred. Here are the Obegan enforcing its highlights of what we can requirements for television stations expect! to air three hours per week of edu- cational programming, only a Network handful of cartoon shows can actually claim they are meeting CBS the mandate. The best is Science Last season, CBS Court, which is now transforming switched to news and live- into “Squigglevision.” However, action “FCC-friendly” there are plenty of high quality shows. Their ratings went shows. Stalwarts such as The into the basement. This Simpsons, Rugrats and Dr. Katz: season they are taking Professional Therapist have been their cue from ratings joined by equally well-written leader ABC’s Saturday shows such as King of the Hill, morning line-up by creat- Daria and Bob and Margaret. CBS ing an animation block of is filling their animated Saturday 30-minute shows aimed at morning lineup with shows based young viewers and pro- on children’s books and Nick- duced entirely by Canada’s elodeon’s first ever half-hour ani- Nelvana Limited. All but Birdz. © Nelvana Limited.All Rights Reserved. mated series The Wild Thornberrys one show is based on popular geois and Brenda Clark. Anatole, will debut as part of the network’s children’s books. As you will see as based on the book series by Eve new prime-time block for kids, the you read on, Nelvana is responsi- Titus, centers on a dignified mouse Nickel-0-Zone. ble for more TV animation than who’s a loving husband and father any other company today. CBS’s to six charming children. Dumb Fox is adding three prime-time new Saturday morning season Bunnies is based on Dav Pilkey’s animated shows to its mid-sea- premieres Saturday, October 3 at Scholastic books and centers on a son, early 1999 schedule. 8:00 a.m. (ET), 7:00 a.m. (PT). family of lovable, fun loving, and Flying Rhino Junior High is extremely naïve bunnies. Mythic More cartoon shows than based on the books written and Warriors: Guardians Of The Leg- ever before will soon be gracing illustrated by Ray Nelson and Dou- end is from the paperback series, your TV screens. The 1998 fall sea- glas Kelly and revolves around the “Myth Men,” by Laura Geringer, son features animation of nearly antics of Earl P. Sidebottom (a.k.a illustrated by Peter Bolinger and every conceivable genre from sub- The Phantom of the Auditorium). published by Scholastic. It is about tle to broad comedy, from experi- Birdz is an original comic adven- a modernized Mt. Olympus where mental shorts to derivative action- ture series about a family of birds, Perseus is a master kickboxer and adventure half-hours. The only which centers around their mis- Iole dons a punk haircut. style that seems to be still missing chievous ten-year-old Eddie is serious drama. But why com- Storkowitz. Franklin is a turtle ABC plain? The so-called “animation learning how he fits into the world Disney’s ratings power- boom” of the early 1990s has final- and how the world fits him. It is house “One Saturday Morning” ly arrived eight years after it was based on books by Paulette Bour- block premieres September 12 at

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 8 8:00 a.m. (ET), 7:00 a.m. rounds out ABC’s chil- (PT). The schedule starts dren’s programming off with their highest pro- lineup. file show, Disney’s Her- cules, an outgrowth of FOX Disney’s 1997 animated Kim Basinger,Alec feature film, which Baldwin,Jerry Springer, chronicled the lifelong Regis Philbin, Kathie exploits of the mythical Lee Gifford, Ed McMa- hero. The series expands hon, Mark Hamill, upon the Greek George Carlin, Martin demigod’s feats during Mull, Fred Willard, the his formative, hero-in- musical group the training, “high school” Moody Blues and years. The voice cast sports casters John includes the film’s Tate Madden and Pat Sum- Donovan, James Woods, merall are among the French Stewart, Sandra guest voices on the Bernhard, and Diedrich 10th season of The Bader, along with an Simpsons. The season amazing roster of guest premiere is scheduled stars including Jason for Sunday, September Alexander, Jennifer Anis- 20 at 8:00 p.m.. Fox ton, Lou Gossett Jr., Merv moved King of the Hill Griffin, Jennifer Love to Tuesday nights in Hewitt, Harvey Korman, July hoping to use it to Disney’s Hercules. © The Walt Disney Company.All Rights Reserved. Bob Keeshan (Captain anchor the evening. Kangaroo), Lisa Kudrow, Heather animated characters, Fizz and Since the end of last season Fox Locklear, Wayne Newton, David Martina, viewers will now be guid- has been ending each show with Hyde Pierce, Charles Nelson Reilly, ed through the half-hour program a “The Hills are moving to Holly- Carl Reiner, William Shatner and from the Squigglevision TV studio. wood” teaser. Some fans thinking Betty White. Fifty-two episodes will If the show is as well-written and it is real have been outraged. Will also premiere in syndication, Mon- funny as Science Court this show the Hills really move to Hollywood day-Friday, beginning August 31. should be a winner. or is it just a publicity stunt? I’m not (Check local listings.) Disney’s Doug, Recess, telling. Both The Simpsons and Pepper Ann, and 101 Dalmatians: King of the Hill are some of the The Series all return with 13 new best written and acted animation What name value the great episodes each. Disney’s Doug will on TV today. director of Schindler’s List and also be seen in syndication Mon- Fox is adding three prime- Saving Private Ryan brings to day through Friday beginning time animated shows to its mid- children’s cartoon shows is a August 31. (Check local listings.) season, early 1999 schedule. The mystery. Reruns of The New Adventures of first of these is The Simpsons’ cre- Winnie the Pooh will continue for ator Matt Groening’s Futurama, “Squigglevision,” referring the new season as well. Some of which has been picked up for 13 to the trademark animation style the vintage shorts on The Bugs episodes. The comedy series will of creator and executive producer Bunny & Tweety Show include be produced by Twentieth Centu- Tom Snyder, will take the wit and Homeless Hare, Ain’t She Tweet, ry Fox in association with Groen- appeal of Science Court and Bunny Hugged, and Trick or ing’s Curiosity Company. Groening expand upon it by adding math Tweet. Schoolhouse Rock, the will be executive producer. Rough and vocabulary elements to the Emmy Award-winning, three- Draft Animation, a studio based in series. With the help of two new minute, animated vignettes, Los Angeles and Korea, which ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 9 does Simpsons production work producer along with MacFarlane. vamped-up 1998-99 schedule has been selected as the sole pro- Zuckerman was previously an which includes eight new animat- duction company. executive producer on King of the ed series starting in the fall. New Hill. Roy Smith, formerly of Saban, to the Fox Kids Saturday morning Nickelodeon’s first ever half- and Peter Shin, formerly of Klasky lineup will be Mr. Potato Head hour animated series The Wild Csupo, will be co-animation pro- (Film Roman/Chiodo Bros.) which Thornberrys will debut as part ducers, and John Bush, formerly combines computer generated of the network’s new prime- of Hyperion, will be line producer. imagery (CGI), puppetry and live- time block for kids the Nickel- Another new show is The action production technology; 0-Zone. PJs (time TBA) with Eddie Murphy Godzilla: The Series (Columbia as the voice of the super of the TriStar) which picks up where the Newcomer Seth MacFar- Projects (the PJs.) The show is a blockbuster movie ended; Woody lane’s Family Guy, is a surprise satirical look at urban family values Woodpecker (a new remake from entry into the marketplace. While in a big-city housing project that Universal), Mad Jack (Saban), Silver Futurama and The PJs were will attempt to skewer “cultural Surfer (Saban) and Captain Ameri- planned and in production, Fami- stereotypes, sacred cows and ca (Saban). New to weekday after- ly Guy is a relatively unplanned notions of political correctness.” noons will be Scholastic’s The pilot by MacFarlane, a 24-year-old The PJs is the first prime-time series Magic School Bus (Scholastic/Nel- graduate of Rhode Island School to be created in “foamation”—the vana), Spy Dogs (Saban) and of Design who was recently dis- technique used by Will Vinton Stu- Oggy and the Cockroaches (Gau- covered by Fox executives. Mac- dios (California Raisins, Nissan mont) which will be combined Farlane’s student film first brought commercials). Murphy is produc- with Space Goofs (also Gaumont) him to Hanna-Barbera’s attention ing the series, with Ron Howard as The Space Goofs and Oggy where he made Larry and Steve, a and Brian Grazer as executive pro- Show. Current shows being What A Cartoon! short for Cartoon ducers. Let’s hope all three of these renewed for 1998-99 include Network in 1995. Then what was new series live up to Fox’s tradition Steven Spielberg Presents Toonsyl- started as a short for MAD TV blos- of prime-time success. vania (DreamWorks), Life With somed into a 13-episode, prime- Fox Kids Network, which Louie (Hyperion), Spider-Man time pick-up. David Zuckerman runs weekday afternoons and Sat- (Saban), Ned’s Newt (Nelvana) has been hired as an executive urday mornings on Fox, has a and Sam & Max (Nelvana).

NBC Testing out this prime-time fad, NBC began airing the animat- ed series Stressed Eric in their Wednesday night prime time line- up starting on August 12. This is the first time NBC has aired a reg- ular prime-time animated series since The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo aired on Saturday nights during the 1965/65 TV sea- son. Stressed Eric, a co-production of Absolutely Productions, the BBC and Klasky Csupo, stars a British main character with a strong accent, so NBC has re-dubbed the track with an American voice actor (Hank Azaria) to make the dia- logue more comprehensible to its The PJs. © Touchstone. American viewers. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 10 Kids’ WB! people movers. It’s a city molded live among us” comic adventure “Batman, Batman, every- by corporate master plans, corpo- Men In Black: The Series (based on where!” This should be Kid’s WB’s rate wealth, and occasionally, cor- the hit movie) begins its second new slogan. First there is The New porate greed. In an environment season, airing Saturdays at 9:00 Batman/Superman Adventures such as this, corruption lurks just a.m. Warner Bros. classic charac- which will air Saturdays from 8:00 below the surface of order, wait- ters, Sylvester and Tweety, return to 9:00 a.m. and Monday through ing for the opportunity to break for all-new escapades of The Friday from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.. The through and get a toehold from Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries (Sat- Caped Crusader will be featured in which to flourish. urdays at 11:00 a.m.). all new adven- Just as Disney is tures for the Satur- compelled to slap its day morning moniker on nearly show but will every cartoon show it rotate repeats of owns, so does Steven Batman: The Ani- Spielberg. What name mated Series and value the great direc- The Adventures of tor of Schindler’s List Batman & Robin and Saving Private for the weekday Ryan brings to chil- version. The char- dren’s cartoon shows acters in the new is a mystery. Some Batman have a “Steven Spielberg Pre- distinct look in sents…” shows have order to differenti- come and gone ate the show from (Freakazoid, for exam- Mr. Potato Head. © 1998 Hasbro, Inc. the series’ two pre- ple) but Steven Spiel- vious incarnations in an attempt to Monday through Friday at berg Presents Animaniacs contin- make it clear that each of these 3:30 p.m. and Saturday mornings ues to air Monday through Friday three series is set in a different time at 11:00 a.m., WB presents Warn- at 7:30 a.m. and Steven Spielberg frame. The Superman half of the er Bros.’ Histeria! which presents Presents Pinky & The Brain, Mon- show follows the legendary “man historical subject matter in an day through Friday at 3:00 p.m. of steel” in all-new episodes set in amusing way while trying to fulfill Now WB adds Steven Spielberg present-day Metropolis. the FCC educational program- Presents Pinky, Elmyra & The Brain ming requirement. Crazy charac- (Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.). After Rugrats...was the highest-rated ters such as Father Time, Big Fat ACME labs is destroyed Pinky and children’s program on televi- Baby, Loud Kid, Mr. Smartypants, The Brain seek refuge in a pet sion for the 1997-1998 season. and Lydia Karaoke visit with such store where they are bought by figures from the past as Joan of the overzealous pet-lover Elmyra, But hold on to your bat- Arc, William Shakespeare, or Abra- of Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny belts! There’s even more “caped ham Lincoln. Brats of The Lost Toon Adventures fame. It’s kind of confusion” with an entirely sepa- Nebula is a new sci-fi adventure sad that the perfect duo formula rate Batman series set in the early series from The Jim Henson Com- of Pinky and the Brain will be part of the 21st century. Batman pany and combines puppetry and spoiled by this loud-mouthed, Beyond is an all-new futuristic computer-generated imagery sup- rehashed character. chapter in the world-renowned posedly in a way never before The WB Network (prime- legend of Batman. The new mil- done for television. It’s yet another time) will also try out a pilot based lennium has dawned and Gotham show about good versus evil, as if on the syndicated comic strip Baby City has embraced the future, there weren’t enough of those on Blues during the ‘98 holiday sea- becoming an enormous mega- the air already. Brats will air Satur- son, testing it out for a possible lopolis etched in neon with sleek days at 10:00 a.m. series. futuristic vehicles and behemoth Columbia TriStar’s “aliens ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 11 PBS be made available to After taking home cable affiliates in both the an Emmy Award for Out- pacific and mountain standing Children’s Ani- time zones. Currently mated Program, Arthur available in more than six kicks off the series’ third million homes, Toon Dis- season on PBS, with 15 ney’s fall programming new programs and 50 slate will include seven encore broadcasts of additional series. 101 favorite episodes from Dalmatians, Quack Pack, previous seasons. The Mighty Ducks, Gargoyles, daily, animated half-hour The Adventures of Sonic programs are based on the Hedgehog and Hello Marc Brown’s popular Kitty and Friends will join children’s books about an the Toon Disney sched- aardvark. Arthur is Ed, Edd n’ Eddy. © Cartoon Network. ule in September while brought to public televi- Care Bears will be added sion by WGBH Boston and CINAR Space Ghost Coast to Coast in October. Films and will premiere Monday, kicked off its fifth season on Friday, November 16, 1998. August 7 at 11:30 p.m. (EST/PST). Disney Channel Some of the guests interviewed for Disney Channel makes its this season include supermodels first foray into completely comput- Bob and Margaret is a brilliant- Tyra Banks and Rebecca Romijn, er-generated animation with its ly subtle and funny show.The actor/director Ben Stiller, directors new series for young children, middle-class story lines tran- Jim Jarmusch and Kevin Smith, Rolie Polie Olie, debuting October scend any country’s border. comedian Garrett Morris and a lot 4. Renowned children’s book more. author and illustrator William Dexter’s Laboratory, Gen- Joyce created this 13-episode Cable ndy Tartakovsky’s story of a boy weekly series, produced by Nel- genius who creates fantastic vana Limited. Joyce was recently Cartoon Network inventions in his beloved laborato- named one of the 100 people to Ed, Edd n’ Eddy premieres ry will air new episodes Monday watch in the next millennium by November 16 at 8:00 p.m. The through Friday at 7:30 p.m. Newsweek magazine. Rolie Polie half-hour series tells the story of beginning August 31. Dexter’s Olie follows the touching, tumul- three best friends who band Laboratory was Cartoon Network’s tuous and sometimes hilarious together to tackle life’s most daunt- highest-rated series of both 1996 world of Olie, a simple robotic ing challenge—puberty. Ed, Edd and 1997. Twenty-six new “everyboy” who lives in a magical, n’ Eddy was created by Danny episodes of Cow and Chicken, mechanical world. Antonucci, creator of Lupo the from veteran animator David Feiss, Butcher and director of a.k.a. CAR- will follow the further misadven- Nickelodeon TOON inc., located in Vancouver, tures of the surreal pair of siblings. Nickelodeon’s first ever half- Canada. The Powerpuff Girls,pre- Cow and Chicken airs Tuesdays hour animated series The Wild miering November 18 at 8:00 and Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. start- Thornberrys will debut as part of p.m., is based on animator Craig ing September 1. The new season the network’s new prime-time McCracken’s two original cartoon of Johnny Bravo will be broadcast block for kids the Nickel-0-Zone. shorts produced for Cartoon Net- on Mondays and Fridays begin- From Rugrats creators Klasky work and Hanna-Barbera’s World ning August 31. Csupo, the series follows the Premiere Toons project. The series adventures of girl hero Eliza and is produced by the same anima- Toon Disney her quirky family who travel the tion team behind Dexter’s Labora- Beginning this fall, a west world from Africa to the Amazon tory. coast U.S. feed of Toon Disney will in search of exotic, endangered ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 12 and mysterious animals to star in Arlene Klasky, Gabor Csupo and taking his first steps of indepen- their nature documentaries. The Paul Germain, was the highest- dence, always under the gentle show will air Tuesdays and Thurs- rated children’s program on televi- guidance of his caring mother. days at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) starting sion for the 1997-1998 season. The 30-minute series airs four September 1. The Angry Beavers kick-off times per week on Nickelodeon. Catdog, which chronicles all new episodes with an “Angry Rupert first appeared in Britain in the comical misadventures of a Beavers Halloween” special airing the pages of Express Newspapers, unique creature with two heads, on Monday, October 26 (Time over 75 years ago. The white bear, one body and no trace of a tail, TBA). Angry Beavers will also pre- known by his red sweater and yel- will premiere on Monday, October miere with new episodes in SNICK low checkered trousers and scarf, 5 at 5:00 p.m. (ET/PT). A guest (Saturday nights) throughout has generations of fans and is appearance by country singing November. Steve Burns and the loved by children everywhere for legend Randy Travis and Helga’s gang return for all new episodes his values of courage, kindness, admission of her undying love for of Nick Jr.’s, Blue’s Clues beginning honesty and loyalty. The 30- Arnold, kick-off the third season of Monday, October 12 at 9:30 a.m. minute series airs four times per Hey Arnold! airing Mondays and (ET/PT) as well. week on Nickelodeon. Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) Launched in July 1998, Oh beginning August 31. Kablam!, Yeah! Cartoons (Sundays at noon - It is hard to believe that such the alternative animation antholo- ET/PT) is a unique cartoon labora- charming and well-written gy series, returns for a third season tory that introduces three new shows as Daria and King of the with a new segment and three characters every week. Created by Hill would have started life as specials. The new episodes debut Fred Seibert, the series is meant as spin-offs of something as awful on Friday, September 4, at 8:00 a place where new animation tal- as Beavis and Butt-head... p.m. (ET/PT). One of the new seg- ent and seasoned veterans can ments this season, JetCat!, is based create something new and excit- on Jay Stephens’ Dark Horse ing. Similar in concept to his ‘What Fox Family Channel comic book trilogy Land of Neil, A Cartoon!/World Premiere Toons’ News Corp./Saban co-ven- which was recently nominated for series on Cartoon Network, “Oh ture Fox Kids Worldwide has very an Eisner award, the comic book Yeah!” is aimed at younger chil- animated plans for its newly- industry’s highest honor. The three dren. The result is a series less acquired cable network, The Fox specials are Life with Loopy Birth- annoyingly loud and “in your Family Channel which launched day Galabration on October 23, a face.” Most of the shorts are subtle on August 15 with a kids’ daytime Valentine’s Day special with The and well executed. Some, such as schedule that includes 50% origi- Off-Beats in February 1999 and a Max & His Special Problem, are nal, first-run programming. Fol- special with Henry & June in brilliant. The idea of trying out lowing the lead of competitor’s March 1999. “one shot” cartoon shorts before success with program packaging, Punctuating the new sea- committing to a series was Fox Family Channel will debut son of Rugrats episodes is the inspired by the old Warner Bross with a slate of four themed, addition of a new Pickle to the days. Like the early Looney Tunes “branded” daytime blocks. “Morn- fold. The Rugrats’ lives change for- and Merrie Melodies, Oh Yeah! ing Scramble” for kids of all ages, ever in an episode entitled “The has more misses than hits, but if will include the animated series Family Tree,” which premieres Nickelodeon can commit to the Wowser (Saban), Bit the Cupid Monday, September 21 at 8:00 show for the long haul and let (Saban), Little Mouse on the Prairie p.m. (ET/PT). The episode will these animators develop their (Saban), Eek!Stravaganza (Nel- repeat on Saturday, September 26 craft, they may just have a hit on vana), All Dogs Go to Heaven at 8:00 p.m. in SNICK and Sunday, their hands. (MGM Animation) and the live- September 27 at 10 a.m.. “The Little Bear is based on the action series Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Family Tree” is the cliffhanger children’s books by Else (Don’t miss those great animated episode to The Rugrats Movie Holmelund Minarik with illustra- “Penny” sequences!). The second which will be released Thanksgiv- tions by Maurice Sendak. Little block, “The Captain’s Treasure ing 1998. Rugrats, created by Bear tells the story of a young cub House,” is aimed at pre-schoolers ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 13 with animated shows some might be challenged like The Magic Adven- by the British dialect, Bob tures of Mumfie (Britt All- and Margaret is a brilliantly croft Productions) and subtle and funny show. The Tabaluga (EM-TV). “Tic middle-class story lines tran- Tac Toons,” an all-anima- scend any country’s border. tion block, will feature The series premiered June Bobby’s World (Film 22, 1998. Only 13 shows Roman), Saban’s Oliver have been produced so far Twist (Saban), Heathcliff but they will be stretched (Saban), The Real Ghost- out, with frequent repeats, busters (Columbia Tri- for the entire season. Star), and Classic Harvey Bob and Margaret is Toons (Harvey Enter- paired with the CableACE tainment). The last kids Award-winning series Dr. block of the day before Katz: Professional Therapist, family-oriented prime- now in its fifth season, to time programming form a Monday night pro- starts is “The Basement,” gramming block. Bob and which will premiere the Margaret airs Mondays at animated series Bad 10:00-10:30 p.m., Saturdays Dog (Saban), Monster at 6:00-6:30 p.m. and 2:30- Farm (Saban), Water 3:00 a.m., and Sundays at Melon (Saban) and Bad- 12:30-1:00 a.m. (ET/PT). Dr. aboom (in development Katz: Professional Therapist at Saban), a compilation airs Mondays at 10:00-10:30 of outrageous anima- p.m., Saturdays at 3:00-3:30 tion. Celebrity Deathmatch. © MTV. a.m., Sundays at 12:30-1:00 A recent addition is Donkey tion and pigtails that defy gravity p.m. and Monday through Friday Kong Country, a real-time, 30- based on the cult classic children’s at 8:00-8:30 a.m. and 1:30-2:00 minute animated series based on books and movies from Sweden. p.m. (ET/PT). the successful Nintendo game, Pippi Longstocking premiered Sat- premieres on the revamped cable urday, July 4 and airs Saturday and channel, Sunday, August 16. Sunday mornings at 7:00 a.m. Syndication leader Bohbot Medialab puppeteers worked with HBO is also expected to launch a Kids Network’s weekday 3-D animation motion-capture 25-part animated series called A schedule features a mix of old technology to create Donkey Little Curious in January 1999. Pro- and new shows... Kong Country’s unique look. Don- duced by Curious Pictures, the key Kong is an easy-going, peace show will feature mixed-media, loving ape who has a big heart CG, cel and stop-motion anima- It’s the return of a “fecal but a small brain—a bit of a boob- tion. icon” and more, as six new in-the-woods. Fox Family Channel episodes of South Park began also has a lot of new shows in Comedy Central August 19. Episode topics include: development, so expect additions Bob and Margaret is based an independent film festival comes to their program throughout the on the 1995 Academy Award win- to South Park; Kenny contracts season. ning short film Bob’s Birthday, cre- chicken pox; the kids build rival ated by husband and wife team clubhouses; Mr. Garrison takes his HBO David Fine and Alison Snowden. class to the new planetarium; Pippi Longstocking is the The show focuses on the ordinary South Park citizens begin sponta- story of the rambunctious nine- lives of a middle class dentist and neously combusting; and the year-old with the active imagina- his foot-doctor wife. Although annual rodeo pulls into town. This ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 14 series offers the worst that televi- claymation is fun to watch, it is dif- tember 19). New traditionally-ani- sion can spoon out. It is nasty and ficult to recommend any television mated syndicated shows include badly produced. The creators have that, show after show, constantly Claster Television’s The Lionhearts confused mean-spiritedness and bombards the viewer with the (premieres the weekend of Sep- sarcasm for genuine humor, and idea that conflicts should be tember 19), which revolves the acting is amateurish and near- solved through aggression and around the domestic life of Leo ly inarticulate. However, it remains violence. Celebrity Deathmatch the Lion and his lion family and amazingly popular. South Park airs airs weeknights at 7:30 p.m. and Sachs Family Entertainment’s Mon- Wednesdays at 10:00-10:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT). key Magic (also premieres the and 1:00-1:30 a.m., Saturdays at It is hard to believe that weekend of September 19), which 10:00-10:30 p.m. and 2:00-2:30 such charming and well-written is based on one of the most a.m., and Sundays at 12:00-12:30 shows as Daria and King of the Hill beloved Chinese classic master- a.m. (ET/PT). would have started life as spin-offs pieces. of something as awful as Beavis Another new show from MTV: Music Television and Butt-head, but it is true. Daria Mainframe Entertainment (Beast MTV will continue mixing chronicles the experiences of 16- Wars) is War Planet which is being new and old episodes of Celebrity year-old Daria Morgendorffer, who syndicated by The Summit Media Deathmatch, Eric Fogel’s outra- lives in a new town, Lawndale, Group. With a budget of $18 mil- geously violent claymation series with her stressed-out, career-fixat- lion for 13 new episodes this inno- where clay figure renderings of ed parents and her relentlessly vative CGI series looks like a hit today’s biggest stars are pitted cute and popular younger sister. and a success with the toy manu- against each other in a ring. MTV will continue to air repeats of facturers as well. Summit is also Although the show is meant to Daria and plans new episodes bringing to U.S. syndication Robo- comment satirically on the icons of soon. It airs Monday nights at cop Alpha Commando, The New contemporary culture and the 10:30 p.m. (ET/PT). Cartoon Sushi, Adventures of Voltron: Defender the showcase for of the Universe, and Japan’s popu- acquired animated lar Pokémon. shorts from the U.S. Syndication leader Bohbot and abroad, as well Kids Network’s weekday schedule as pilots created in features a mix of old and new MTV’s own New shows: Jumanji, based on the York-based anima- Robin Williams movie; Extreme tion studio, airs Dinosaurs, about annoyingly hip Thursdays, 10:30 dinosaurs; Mummies Alive! where p.m. (ET/PT). the spirit of an ancient Egyptian resides in an ordinary 12 year-old Syndicated boy; Pocket Dragon Adventures, There “where wizards, magic and mis- are several syndicat- chief abound;” Action Man, cen- ed shows returning tering on an international top with new episodes secret agent; Captain Simian & including 3-D com- The Space Monkeys with super puter generated intelligent monkeys battling the Beast Wars (pre- evil NEBULA for a second season; mieres the week of Extreme Ghostbusters, the second September 14) from season of yet another Ghost- Claster Television busters rip-off; Street Sharks featur- and Sachs Family ing four brothers who have been Entertainment’s mutated into half-shark, half- Rolie Polie Olie. Zorro (premieres the human creatures; Highlander - © 1997 Nelvana Limited. weekend of Sep- The Animated Series, based on the ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 15 original Highlander movie; Mighty Jellystone Park. Yogi and Boo Boo assortment of colorful friends and Max, the curious 11-year-old boy are also coming along for the ride. neighbors. This is the first animat- who has been chosen to rescue At press time Spumco is still pro- ed series to be developed by Cas- the world; The Mask - The Animat- ducing these cartoons for broad- tle Rock’s Television unit, whose ed Series based on the Jim Carrey cast later this year. If they turn out live-action credits include Seinfeld. movie; and Adventures Of Sonic as good as the storyboards I’ve Bill Cosby will team up with The Hedgehog, featuring that hip, seen, it will be worth the wait. Nickelodeon to produce an ani- irreverent and impetuous creature. Dilbert, the corporate mated preschool series called Little Sundays from 8:00-10:00 everyman and cartoon hero of the Bill, based on a book series a.m., Bohbot Kids Network pre- workplace, makes his television authored by Cosby. Little Bill will sents: Princess Gwenevere And series debut in the animated premiere in the fall of 1999 on The Jewel Riders which returns for prime-time comedy Dilbert. (Janu- Nick Jr. Cosby’s series will investi- a third season; Double Dragon, ary 1999). The television series is gate life through the eyes of a five- featuring masked twin super based on the comic strip created year-old boy who is on a quest to heroes who defend Metro City; by Scott Adams that makes it seem understand the world. Ultraforce, a futuristic, science-fic- funny and okay for the corporate As part of a multi-year deal, tion series; and Skysurfer Strike world to keep the little guy down. Fat Dog Mendoza will be the first Force, another action cartoon that Voices for the series include: of two original series co-produced returns for a third season. Daniel Stern, Chris Elliott, Kathy by Sunbow Entertainment and Griffin, Gordon Hunt, Larry Miller Cartoon Network Europe for air in The Future and Jackie Hoffman. 1999. The series is described as a For the first time in 40 The WB Network has hilarious blend of the bizarre and years, Mickey Mouse will be ani- ordered 13 episodes of The familiar but at press time, no fur- mated in new cartoons by Walt Downtowners, an animated series ther details were available about Disney Television Animation in a developed by Bill Oakley and Josh the show. show called Mouse Works. The Weinstein for Castle Rock Televi- show will package new cartoons sion. It is slated to air as a prime- featuring Mickey, Donald Duck, time show in fall 1999. The show Joseph K. Bevilacqua, a protege Daisy, Goofy and Pluto, into 13, is described by WB as “the first of Daws Butler (the voice of Yogi weekly 22-minute episodes sched- prime-time animated comedy to Bear), is a veteran radio comedy uled for release in early 1999. In focus on the lives of twentysome- writer, producer, actor, as well as the development of the show, Roy things and teens.” It will star four cartoonist. His programs have Disney, currently vice chairman of roomates living in a downtown aired on public radio stations the board of the Walt Disney Com- loft in a fictional big city, and their nationwide since 1980 and have pany, has been working closely been honored by The Museum of with Disney TV’s L.A.-based senior Television and Radio as part of vice president Barry Blumberg and their “Contemporary Radio executive producers Roberts Gan- Humor” exhibits. He is currently naway and Tony Craig. As in the developing animation scripts with early Mickey Mouse “Silly Sympho- his wife and creative partner, ny” cartoons, music is established Lorie B. Kellogg. Their comedy as the driving force to provide ref- can be heard in RealAudio and erence for character motion and seen in comic strips on their web movements. At present Disney has site, “Joe & Lorie’s Comedy-O- not decided which of its many Rama.” outlets will air this new show. Last year, the “What a Car- toon!” anthology on Cartoon Net- Note: Readers may contact any work promised two cartoons by Animation World Magazine con- Coming soon: Dilbert. © UPN.All Rights tributor by sending an e-mail to John Kricfalusi, creator of Ren & Reserved. Stimpy, starring Ranger Smith of [email protected].

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 16 DisneyÕs Little Big Screen: Turning Animated Features Into TV Series by Mike Lyons he Further Adven- and The Wuzzles. One tures of Dumbo? of the people there for TFantasia Frolics? the flash point was Tad Bambi: the Series? If tele- Stones, an animator vision had been around who began his career in the Forties, would at Disney in feature ani- these titles have been a mation in 1974. Later reality? Difficult to tell he moved to television how far Walt Disney and went on to serve would have gone, but as executive producer today’s popular Disney of the series Aladdin, as animated features go on well as director of the to live forever—not only film’s two lucrative in the memory of genera- direct-to-video sequels. tions who will enjoy He stated that them for years to come, This fall,WDTVA will debut Hercules, an animated series on ABC’s adapting a popular fea- but also any child up Saturday morning line-up. © The Walt Disney Company.All Rights ture for the small Reserved. early enough on Satur- screen comes with day mornings. symphony and transport it into a inevitable hurdles. “No matter As the studio’s animated rock and roll song. You could do it, what you do, no matter how features become increasingly pop- as they showed in A Whiter Shade much you spend and put into it, ular, audiences clamor for more. of Pale, but you have to be aware you’re not going to be spending To answer the call quickly and effi- that the demands of the medium, as much as a feature film,” admit- ciently, Disney has taken to adapt- or the genre, are a little different. If ted Stones. “Everybody under- ing some of their more recent ani- you just tried to play the sympho- stands that this is a TV series, but mated films to a format once for- ny for minutes at a time, it won’t they still compare it directly to the eign to the Mouse House: televi- be satisfactory. It won’t please the feature films. So, basically we’re sion. Hits such as The Little Mer- symphony lover or the rock and getting something done on a tele- maid, Aladdin, The Lion King and roll aficionado. So, you have to be vision production schedule, albeit even the classic 101 Dalmatians more sensitive to what works in a lush one, compared to some- have spawned TV siblings. With the shorter time frame and the dif- thing that was four years in the their characters and stories so ferent demands of the medium.” making and is lavished with com- entrenched in the mainstream, puter effects and digital ink and creating new weekly situations is paint. That hurts us too, because The feature-to-series trend has the first and usually most daunting it’s daunting when someone over- also opened up a controversy... task. seas is drawing something ‘off- model.’ We give them notes and A New Genre we try to refine something, but Roy Price, director of devel- Disney has indeed met there’s only so much that we can opment and current program- these demands, as Television Ani- do.” ming for Walt Disney Television mation has become a strong arm Animation (WDTVA), used this of the company since its inception Adapting for the Tube analogy: “It’s sort of like if you over a decade ago with shows like These limitations, however, wanted to take the theme of a Adventures of the Gummi Bears have not stopped Disney from

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 17 experimenting and taking some the tone,” said Stones, who will chances with its characters. Case also be serving as executive pro- in point is Timon and Pumbaa, a ducer for the new show. “We look series based on the comic sidekicks at the feature film and we say, from Disney’s behemoth of ani- ‘What do people like?’” mated blockbusters, The Lion King. Instead of re-creating the No one under the Disney lush, lyrical mood of the film week umbrella is safe from the lure after week, supervising producers of television... Tony Craig and Roberts Gann- away decided to shape Timon and Pumbaa in a more Tex Avery-ish The answer to this was the vein. “What we tried to do, to original’s irreverence and the pro- keep it fresh, was expand on their ducers of Hercules, the series, personalities as a comedy team,” found that the best way to capture noted Gannaway, “in the tradition this was through what they call a of good comedy teams like Bob “mid-quel.” That is, the events that Hope and Bing Crosby or Martin take place on the show, take place and Lewis. The other thing that Timon and Pumbaa. © The Walt Disney not before or after those of the we did to try and keep it interest- Company.All Rights Reserved. film, but at a point within the ing was to not have them locked would become more of a greedy story. So, instead of taking the safe into the Serengeti, but allow them character,” said Gannaway. “It’s route and relaying Herc’s exploits to travel the world and meet dif- been daunting, because she is as a strong-man here among mor- ferent kinds of animals.” such a great villain.” tal earthlings, the series will focus Gannaway and Craig have This fall, WDTVA will again on the character during his also translated one of Disney’s place their own distinct stamp on teenage years, allowing the show most beloved films, 101 Dalma- a new series, when Hercules, Dis- to tackle issues of romance, teen tians (which recently got a new ney’s loopy feature from last year, angst and a main character still ‘leash’ on life thanks to a popular makes its way to ABC’s Saturday struggling to find his place in the live-action remake), for the small morning line-up, as a weekly ani- world. As Stones noted, “By ignor- screen. “The animated feature and mated series. ing continuity and trying to stay the live-action film are really about “What we’ve done in Her- true to the elements of humor and the human characters,” noted cules is what we’ve always tried to adventure in the film, we came up Gannaway. “The objective of the do in every series which is keep with a much stronger series that TV series was to make a really stands on its own.” show about the puppies’ Most of the original voice individual personalities. This cast from the film will return, isn’t really explored in the including a real surprise: movie beyond a ‘tagging’ of James Woods in his blister- the different types.” ingly bad role of Hades. In addition, the pro- With Woods signed on, the ducers have given the new producers suddenly found Dalmatians it’s own highly that there was a flood of rec- stylized look, different from ognizable names who want- that of the original film and ed to be part of the show. have even tackled what “Every episode was cast as if many would have thought it was a feature film,” says verboten: Disney’s most pop- Stones of this unexpected ular screen villain, Cruella luxury. The new show will DeVil. “We needed to Roberts Gannaway and Tony Craig (seated). © The Walt boast over 150 celebrity voic- expand her so that she Disney Company.All Rights Reserved. es including: Seinfeld’s Jason ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 18 Walt’s nephew, vice chairman of the board, Roy E. Disney, who has been keeping a careful eye on the classic characters, now also known as company icons. “He’s looking at all the scripts and all the storyboards,” noted Gannaway. “Roy is watch-dogging the show and this relaxes a lot of other exec- utives.” It’s actually very fitting that Disney’s biggest hero of the big screen would make his way to the small screen in such a top-notch manner. After all, it was Walt him- self, who in the 1950s, pioneered Mouse Works. © The Walt Disney Company.All Rights Reserved. the idea of quality family television Alexander as Poseidon, Mike (Man- me, I don’t think it’s a taste thing,” with such shows as Disneyland, nix) Connors as the hard-boiled admitted Stones. “I don’t see how Zorro and The Mickey Mouse cop, Chipacles, Regis Philbin as a spin-off of any kind takes away Club. the voice of Typhoon and game from the original. When Disney Like those classic shows, show host Wink Martindale, some- did ‘Dance of the Hours’ [in Fanta- the features-to-series evolve on what typecast as Sphinx Martin- sia] people complained because their own, becoming creative and dale. In addition, a majority of the they couldn’t listen to that piece of entertaining variations on an orig- show’s 65 episodes will also fea- music without seeing dancing hip- inal theme, not just cogs in a cor- ture songs. pos. Maybe they did ruin that porate machine. “Everyone always music, but then so did Alan Sher- says, ‘Oh, you guys also have to Working With Other Divisions man, when he did ‘Hello Mudda, worry about the merchandising When films such as Her- Hello Fadda.’” and the dolls and everything.’ You cules make the leap to the small don’t. All you’re concerned with is, screen, the producers usually get All you’re concerned with is, ‘Am I putting a good story on the little else but the blessing of the ‘Am I putting a good story on screen?,’” noted Stones, adding, artists and filmmakers from the the screen?’ - Tad Stones “You’re really just focused on your original film. “They don’t worry project, you’re not thinking, ‘Is this about a series when they’re doing going to be a good Disneyland movies,” noted Stones. “They’re “I think the good thing is ride?’” worried about the movie and that it extends the life of the char- that’s it.” In fact, the proliferation of acters,” said Gannaway. “It keeps animated features into series has the characters out there for the Mike Lyons is a Long Island-based inspired some good nature rib- audience to enjoy.” Gannaway freelance writer, who has written bing at the studio. As Stones and his partner, Tony Craig, have remembered, “When [directors] recently been entrusted with Dis- over 100 articles on film and ani- Ron Clements and John Musker ney’s first big screen star, Mickey mation. His work has appeared were developing Hercules, they Mouse. The ‘Big Cheese’ will come in Cinefantastique, Animato! and said, ‘Hey Tad, we’re doing a pilot to television this fall in his first ani- The Disney Magazine. for a series.’” mated series, Mouse Works, prov- The feature-to-series trend ing that no one under the Disney has also opened up a controversy, umbrella is safe from the lure of Note: Readers may contact any however, as many animation television. Animation World Magazine con- purists now believe that Disney is The show has been pro- tributor by sending an e-mail to “cheapening” its own product. “To duced under the guidance of [email protected].

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 19 The Color In Mind: Corto Maltese by Russell Bekins t was a job to be over five million approached with copies sold. Iboth trepidation Ellipse, a pro- and glee: the fea- duction wing ture animation of the French adaptation of the broadcaster “classic” and often Canal Plus, confusing graphic hopes to turn novel The Ballad Of A background from the animated Corto Maltese. © Ellipse the Corto Mal- The Salt Sea by the Programme/Imedia/ConG.All Rights Reserved. tese books into legendary Hugo himself alive. a series of six Pratt. With a cult following to Let’s be up-front about it: it’s TV movies, beginning with the please on one hand, and a televi- a weird, arcane, and complicated Ballad Of The Salt Sea. Still to come sion audience on the other, how work, like a Joseph Conrad novel are: Under The Sign Of Capricorn, would they strike a balance in graphic form. Corto Maltese In Siberia, The Gild- between the popular, and fidelity ed House Of Samarkand, and The to the original? They sacked the Celts. Additionally, there will be a first group of writers. Then a funny Can such subtleties be brought series of short episodes based on thing happened: they began to life in a faithful adaptation some of the other Corto Maltese studying the story and graphics... of this odd graphic novel? adventures. Italian TV station RAI Is a French production and the Animation Band in Milan, team breaking all the rules while For precisely that reason, Italy will be co-producing some of adapting the graphic novels of the author of the serial, Hugo the segments. It’s a fitting match Hugo Pratt? Pratt, has become a cult figure for the Italian author and artist unto himself. Going with his father who spent most of his working life All Hail the Master to Ethiopia in 1937, during the in France. Scripting on The Ballad First appearing in 1967, Italian attempt to establish a Of The Salt Sea has been going on The Ballad Of The Salt Sea is a colony there, he was enrolled in for a year, and they are now in the graphic novel about the adven- the Italian police force. During the storyboard stage, with the first film tures of a rakish and ethically chal- war years, he was captured by the expected out in the fall of 1999. It lenged adventurer, Corto Maltese, SS as a spy, escaped, and went hasn’t been easy, though. a “gentleman of fortune” in an era over to the Allies. Pratt’s graphic To Europeans weaned on no longer accommodating to novels are sometimes seen as the adventure-driven comic book such roles. A member of a band of extensions of his adventurous life. series, a film adaptation is the pop pirates nominally allied with the They are unusual for their intellec- equivalent of doing Shakespeare Germans in the South Pacific in tual underpinning, often confus- in London—it had better be good. 1913, Corto becomes interested in ing plots, historical figures, compli- Conventional wisdom says that the welfare of two kidnapped cated characters, and carefully pleasing the cult and pleasing the British children. As the shifting researched, exotic locations. Heir public at large might be two dif- interests of governments at war to the Belgian School of graphic ferent tasks, however, the films half a world away begin to make novelists, his full-color painted must sustain the larger audience themselves known at their well- images are a beauty to behold. for the duration of the ambitious hidden pirate base, he must find a They have earned him a die-hard project. way to keep the children safe and following in Italy and France, with ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 20 Give the Children What They Morelli first approached Pratt was R-rated. Everybody was good Want? about doing an animation film and bad at the same time, like Producer Sophie Glass’ cre- based on Corto Maltese, this joke Clint Eastwood in a Sergio Leone dentials have brought her a epitomized his dilemma. Hugo movie.” unique insight. When working for Pratt was infamous for rejecting Alia, she produced an animation offers to adapt his series based on the classic chil- work to film or dren’s books Les Malheurs De any other media. Sophie by the Contesse de Segur. Rea approached “It was a very psychological series him with the idea about a girl who has trouble being of an “artist-dri- a child.” The adaptation of this ven” animation classic material led her to shun series with Pascal condescending to children. “Chil- Morelli directing, dren love being sad,” she points and found the out, though is quick to add that writer-artist sur- no one really knows what kids prisingly open. want. “He was aware that there had to be changes in the Let’s be up-front about it: it’s a One of the many faces of Corto Maltese. © Ellipse Pro- story itself,” Rea gramme/Imedia/ConG.All Rights Reserved. weird, arcane, and complicated recalls. work... Morelli was then working The Text in Los Angeles as a storyboard But can such subtleties be Pascal Morelli agrees, and artist and advisor to director Phillip brought to life in a faithful adapta- points to the adaptation of the Kauffman. The faxes hummed tion of this odd graphic novel? popular French comic Asterix as a back and forth between Morelli From the American viewpoint, it model for everything that could and Pratt. Unfortunately, Pratt seems an impossible task. It just go wrong. Despite the untranslat- died in 1995, before Morelli ever doesn’t follow the formula. ed Latin quotes, sophisticated had a chance to meet him in per- In Pratt’s story, Corto Mal- social satire and plays on words, son. Morelli, though sad about the tese is first met tied to a raft in the “The adapters felt the need to fact, is in a way relieved. “Who South Pacific. He is picked up by reduce Asterix to a level he had knows,” he grimaced, “I might Rasputin, a fellow pirate whom never sunk to: that of a four-year- have been thinking that he had Pratt seems to have dredged from old child... The adapters took been saying this, but when I met a frozen river in Moscow where he Asterix for the Smurfs. We must him he might say, ‘That’s not what almost met his end. Their friend- remember that for decades, it was I meant.’“ This ambivalence would ship is based on threatening to kill claimed that comic books, and later prove ironic. each other, and a mysterious tie to animated films, could only tell sim- For Morelli, whose anima- “The Monk,” whom we later come ple stories.” tion background was largely in the to know as the leader of their With this in mind, they set United States (Calamity Jane for pirate band. We quickly discover out to aim the project for teens Warner Bros. TV, Vor-Tech for Uni- that Corto is complicit in a number and adults. versal, and Gadget Boy for DIC), it of crimes, including piracy, kidnap- was a homecoming project. He ping, and even the murder of a What’s a Camel? had discovered the Corto Maltese ship’s crew. He is passive, laconic, “What’s a camel?” asked series when growing up in and frequently, seems uncon- executive producer of the project, France. “When I was a kid, a lot of cerned for how things turn out. Robert Rea, with a self-effacing things happened in the novels This is our hero? smile. “It’s a horse designed by that I didn’t get,” Morelli admitted. In Hollywood, it would be executive producers.” “At first I had a hard time reading de rigeur to make Corto active, When director Pascal them, but then it became magic. It atone for his sins, and be the star. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 21 That’s another problem. In the story) has been made the Hollywood version, Corto “stronger” in Morelli’s words. must be central to the action, but Though there’s only one scene Corto is frequently gone, or not where she attempts to seduce the key character in many scenes Corto, there is an undercurrent of of the epic (he is wounded and romance. “She starts out cute, but out of action for a good deal of she’s turning from a girl into a the “second act”). Much of the tale woman. We’re going to look at rotates around a young British how she moves.” brother and sister, kidnapped by This study included discov- Rasputin to be ransomed to their ering new elements in the artwork family. As the action comes to a itself and the setting. “He did not close, events center on the girl simply use the background of the and her relationship with the Corto in shadow. © Ellipse picture to indicate locations, but British admiral who comes to her Programme/Imedia/ConG.All Rights made it a narrative element,” Reserved. rescue. The dialogue and action Morelli continued. Things are con- focus on the kangaroo court trial acters are not built to be super fusing for a reason. “It’s as if you of a “noble” German submarine heroes.” were in Yugoslavia during the war. captain who has been privateer- Things readily apparent from the ing across the Pacific. Sound com- The Significance of Absence outside are not when you’re in the plicated? It is. It’s barely linear sto- The team spent six months middle of it.” rytelling. Concern over these, and studying the story and the “testo other thorny issues of story devel- fungi,” the subtext. “The story is opment, led the first draft of the about two things,” Morelli contin- It’s as if you were in Yugoslavia script to come in more John ued. “The growth of two teens, during the war.Things readily Wayne than Sergio Leone. All and the turn of the century. It’s apparent from the outside are slam-bam action and adventure, it about adventurers who used to not when you’re in the middle seemed like a simple-minded live freely, but can’t any more. The of it. - Pascal Morelli adaptation of Terry And The Monk and his gang steal and that’s Pirates. Clearly, another approach it. But the world is changing was needed. They had a camel on around them. That’s why I like The Morelli acknowledged that their hands. Wild Bunch. It’s about the end of there are flaws in the material. “If you want an action- the world for adventurers.” “When Platt wrote the story, he adventure story why use Hugo “It’s a very original way to didn’t always know where he was Pratt?” Morelli shrugs. “These char- tell stories,” Glass insisted. “It looks going,” he shrugged. One exam- lazy and elliptic, but it’s not so lazy ple of this is the artwork of Corto as it seems. There are deep things Maltese himself. He looks different going on underneath.” It is bring- at the start of the story than at the ing out this “testo fungi,” or sub- end, as if the character evolved in text, that is their job. Interpolating the author’s mind as the story between the frames of Pratt’s book unfolded. This meant a challenge lies in the looks and glances, the for the artists. “They had to choose range of expressions that fill in which Corto to use,” Glass what is not said. “Corto’s silences revealed. are revealing,” Morelli said, gestur- They also confronted a cen- ing, “and even his absence is sig- tral character with more than one nificant.” flaw. “Corto is about what is do- The central relationship able at any given time,” Rea assert- Corto in close-up. © Ellipse between Corto Maltese and the ed, underlining the theme of situ- Programme/Imedia/ConG.All Rights young teen girl (whom some crit- ational ethics and the Sergio Reserved. ics say is the central character of Leone movie. He changes from ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 22 pirate to gentle- while making it man in the course accessible to the of the story. His public at large. friendship with How do you do Rasputin it? embraces both “I don’t love and hate; he know,” sighed is openly contra- Morelli. “In one Another background from the animated Corto Maltese. © Ellipse Programme/Ime- dictory. He’s not a dia/ConG.All Rights Reserved. of the trial hero in the ordi- episodes we’ve nary sense of the fine. “You have to keep a balance- done, fans of the adventure genre. Don’t expect to between the elements, you don’t book thought we had copied the see a wisecracking, Bruce Willis change too much to get less.” art from the book exactly. They type in the lead, Rea warned. “It’s looked at the page and discovered more irony than humor.” The Significance of Corto that it was all beige, because Pratt That sounds suspiciously There are a number of was concerned that people be French to the Hollywood ear. important reasons to follow this able to read the text. The task is production carefully. The first is really to find the color that every- Change for Less that it represents a return to one had in mind.” Glass cast out among her Europe of an important animation animation writing friends and director, and a hope that the vast Note: The on-line version of this chose veterans Thierry Thomas to exodus of European talent to the review includes a Quicktime movie oversee the writing, and Jean States will reverse itself. The sec- of Corto Maltese: Pêceaux for the text. “Thomas was ond is that this looks like years of http://www.awn.com/mag/issue a friend of Pratt’s and deeply pas- work for cartoonists, animators, 3.6/3.6pages/3.6bekinscorto.html sionate about the images he had storyboard artists, and so on. The drawn. Pêceaux knew the story by third is that it represents a grand heart,” he said. In a typical session, experiment in marketing to teens, Russell Bekins is a disgruntled Pêceaux would propose to cut a who are staying away from sim- expatriate of the film industry, scene, and Thomas would argue plistic animation features in now living in Bologna, Italy. Serv- that the image was too important droves. to be cut. Thomas would then ing his apprenticeship as story propose eliminating a portion of and multimedia analyst for Cre- Corto is about what is do-able the text, and Pêceaux would ative Artists Agency, he went on at any given time. defend it as being vital to the flow to be a creative executive for - Robert Rea of the narrative. “They ended up Tidewater Entertainment at Dis- being completely faithful to Pratt,” ney Studios, where he achieved Glass smiles. “Our market research indi- his level of incompetence in stu- Well, not quite. They cates that there is a real interest in dio politics. He is now working wound up dumping an action these (adventure) themes from on theme park attractions and scene where the pirates shell and age ten and up,” Rea clarified. If consulting on multi-media pro- sink a Japanese navy boat threat- they are successful in this ening their hideout as just plain approach, they will show the way jects, as well as struggling with too confusing. You see, the Japan- for other animation producers in the subjunctive tense in Italian. ese were allied with the British at the burgeoning adult-cum-teen the time and the pirates are allied market in Europe. with the Germans, and...you get Hollywood might just have Note: Readers may contact any the idea. to listen. Animation World Magazine con- But dropping an action Most of all, this production tributor by sending an e-mail to scene?? Unheard of. is a test of how to satisfy the hard- [email protected]. But that suits Morelli just core fans of a graphic novel series

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 23

Giuseppe Laganà and Animation in Italy: Rebuilding an Industry by Russell Bekins iuseppe Laganà he’s coming at it in terms of scripting, storyboard- began his career from experience.” ing and animation. “It was a Gat the Italian Since 1995, change from this, to this,” illustrat- state-owned Cartoon when he pro- Film; the studio that duced and direct- Executive producer Robert produced the animated ed 26 six-minute Rea, confronted with the need shorts for the immortally episodes of to choose an Italian production weird Italian television Laura’s Sky—a partner, shrugs that the deci- comedy variety series fantasy series sion was no contest. Carosello. He worked about the myster- with such industry leg- ies of the universe ends as Harry Hess and Giuseppe Laganà. from the perspec- ed Lupicolo, flipping his hand over Jimmy Teru Murakami. Sketch by Russell Bekins. tive of a girl and to expose the palm—the Italian Later, he was a back- her cat—Laganà equivalent of ‘from day to night.’ ground artist for Bruno Bozzetto and his Animation Band have A Growing Future on Allegro Non Troppo, the classic been going full tilt. They have also The hard work and surrealist Italian answer to Fanta- completed another animation methodology is paying off. Anima- sia. series based on the Italian comic tion Band has been selected to do strip Lupo Alberto, which might be At his Milan-based company, best described as Animation Band, the studio’s a cross between thirty-odd employees are Bloom County enthusiastic about Laganà’s and Road Runner. leadership. Such inten- sive production “From about 1980 to 1994, has led the com- there was a huge crisis in Italian pany away from Animation,” he lamented, “a black- more chaotic, out.” He survived by doing titles illustrator-based for television, videos, industrials production meth- and educational films. ods. “It was always a strug- A New Beginning gle,” recalled pro- At his Milan-based compa- duction director ny, Animation Band, the studio’s Diego Lo Piccolo. thirty-odd employees are enthusi- “We were simply astic about Laganà’s leadership. tilting at wind- “He’s been an assistant, a back- mills.” In order to ground artist, illustrator, and direc- keep up with the tor,” waxed background artist demands of the Giorgio Campioni. “He’s done new series, they everything, so when he offers a had to adopt piece of advice, you know that industry standards Lupo Alberto. © 1998 Silver/McK.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 25 “They were simply the most reli- able studio.” Russell Bekins is a disgruntled We [Europeans] have a expatriate of the film industry, long way to go to overcome the now living in Bologna, Italy. Serv- advantages you have in the Amer- ing his apprenticeship as story ican market,” Laganà asserted. “A single language, for example.” For and multimedia analyst for Cre- Animation Band, the “new” meth- ative Artists Agency, he went on ods and developing a core of writ- to be a creative executive for ers who know animation have Tidewater Entertainment at Dis- been key. ney Studios, where he achieved his level of incompetence in stu- For Animation Band, the dio politics. He is now working Corto Maltese. © Ellipse Programme/Ime- dia/ConG. All Rights Reserved. “new” methods and developing on theme park attractions and a core of writers who know consulting on multi-media pro- an important portion of the pro- animation have been key. jects, as well as struggling with duction on the upcoming Corto Maltese series, along with Ellipse the subjunctive tense in Italian. in France. Executive producer “For a lot of years, we were Robert Rea, confronted with the continually losing talent to Ameri- need to choose an Italian produc- ca,” Laganà lamented, “now that Note: Readers may contact any tion partner (a stipulation of Italian an industry is developing, it Animation World Magazine con- television network RAI), shrugged appears that people are return- tributor by sending an e-mail to that the decision was no contest. ing.” [email protected]. BonusBonus HTMLHTML FeaturFeatureses Every on-line (HTML) issue of Animation World Magazine contains additional features not found in the download or print Acrobat version, such as Quicktime movies, links to Animation World Network sites, extended articles and special sections. DonÕt miss the following highlights that are showcased exclusively in this monthÕs Animation World Magazine HTML version: http://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.6/3.6pages/3.6cover.html

• The Color In Mind: Corto Maltese Includes a Quicktime movie of the animated series, Corto Maltese, which is featured on the cover of this issue. http://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.6/3.6pages/3.6bekinscorto.html

• International Theatrical Dubbing: It’s More Than Meets the Eye Contains four Quicktime movies of the title character in the Fox animated feature film Anastasia singing songs from the film in English, Portugese, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Russian, Turkish, Polish and Greek. http://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.6/3.6pages/3.6chinndubbing.html

• The Film Strip Tells All Includes Quicktime movies of Linear Dreams by Richard Reeves and Moonlight by BŠrbel Neubauer. http://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.6/3.6pages/3.6moritzfilms.html

• Roots: An Experiment in Images and Music Includes a Quicktime movie of Roots by BŠrbel Neubauer, and a link to the AWN Vault featuring the authorÕs filmography. http://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.6/3.6pages/3.6neubauerroots.html ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 26 Better For All Concerned: The Writers Guild of America’s Animation Writers Caucus by Craig Miller he Animation Writers Caucus the aegis of a Writers Guild of was founded in May, 1994. America contract! The first show TThe purpose of the Caucus is done under a Guild contract was to assist Animation Writers and the show my partner and I creat- help them to better the circum- ed, Pocket Dragon Adventures, stances under which they work. which debuts worldwide in Sep- By providing shared information, tember. Over 30 animation writ- health benefits, educational and ers worked on the show and networking opportunities, and a received Guild benefits and pro- code of ethics, the WGA Anima- tections. News of that contract tion Writers Caucus makes the opened the floodgate and field of animation better for all dozens of inquiries have since concerned. come in. Recent developments the Department of Industry include a series of made-for-video So reads the introductory Alliances, which was specifically Garfield movies which have been paragraph to the “Directory of Ani- mandated to look into organizing done under Guild contract and a mation Writers” published annual- and improving conditions for writ- new prime-time animated series, ly by the Writers Guild of America ers working in Animation, Interac- The PJs, to air on the Fox Network, (WGA). Clear and concise, it gives tive and other “new media,” and which is being written with full an idea of what’s behind the Ani- Reality Programming. Guild protections for its writers. mation Writers Caucus (AWC), but And, in a major deal signed in it doesn’t really go to its heart. The WGA is a labor union, “a August between the WGA and The WGA is a labor union, collective bargaining agent,” Fox, four more prime-time animat- “a collective bargaining agent,” whose main purpose is to pro- ed shows will be produced under whose main purpose is to protect tect the financial and profes- Guild contracts: The Simpsons, the financial and professional lives sional lives of writers... King of the Hill, Futurama and of writers, even writers who don’t Family Guy. normally come under the Guild’s charter. The organization is con- In May of 1994, the first for- Benefits Abound cerned about them and the con- mal meeting of the Animation Other achievements the ditions under which they work, Writers Caucus was held. Open to Animation Writers Caucus has too. Whether or not an animation anyone who has written at least accomplished include giving a script was ever written under a one half-hour of produced anima- voice to the wants and needs of Guild contract, the WGA wanted tion, the Caucus started with 42 animation writers. Long a part of to work to aid animation writers. members. Today, the Caucus num- the Motion Picture Screen Car- bers around 300. However, the toonists Union (MPSC), Local 839 The Birth of the Caucus first four years of the organization’s of IATSE, writers make up less than In 1994, Brian Walton, existence have been spent doing 10% of that union’s membership. executive director of the WGA, more than just collecting mem- The rest of the members are artists. gathered together a group of ani- bers. The Caucus has accom- So focused on art and artists is the mation writers and asked what the plished a lot. MPSC that, to this day, MPSC does Guild could do to help writers Among the most important not have a formal job classification improve things. A few meetings things that the Caucus has done for writers, instead they are includ- were held and, from that, the happened in the last year. Anima- ed with storyboard artists under WGA formed a new department, tion is now being written under the rubric of Story Persons. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 27 As signified by the quote at ing information. Bosses in all writers achieve sufficient hours to the start of this article, the Writers industries tell employees not to qualify for that union’s medical Guild publishes an annual Directo- talk, not to let anyone else know plan. However, two different ry of Animation Writers which it what one is making or benefits health plans are available through distributes free of charge to ani- one is receiving. That’s because the WGA. A low-cost yet high mation studios, networks, agents, they don’t want people to know quality self-pay plan is available to production companies, and oth- what to ask for. Sports stars have AWC members, and their families, ers. This listing of writers, their learned better. Their contracts who haven’t yet written under a credits, and their agents or other make the papers and the next guy Writers Guild contract. For those contact information, makes it easy now knows what’s possible. The writers who have, they and their for those seeking families may be animation writers eligible for the to find the writer no-cost WGA who would best Health Plan. fit a project and Additionally, aides writers in members of finding work. the Animation AWC sponsors an Writers Caucus ongoing series of receive all Guild panels and semi- publications nars on various and mailings, aspects of the and can join animation indus- the Guild’s Film try. Some, such Society and as the recent attend all open panel of industry Guild events. executives and To further the upcoming indicate its agents panel, are strong and on- for members only going support and are held at of animation the Writers Guild writing, the Building in Los Pocket Dragon Adventures, which debuts worldwide this month, is the first show done Guild has just Angeles. Others under a Guild contract. © 1998 BKN Kids Network and Real Musgrave. approved a take place at new award. industry events such as NATPE, the same is true in the entertainment This award honors a writer for World Animation Celebration or industry. Knowing what deals their entire career, for the work the San Diego Comic-Con. These have been made gives an advan- itself and/or the writer’s contribu- events serve to keep members tage to members and their agents. tion to the field of animation. The informed of changes and trends in Having opportunities to learn this first WGA Animation Award will be the industry, as well as to keep information makes all the differ- presented at the AWC’s annual people aware of the involvement ence. While the above sounds dry, meeting in October 1998. of writers in the animation it’s a very social atmosphere. Fun, process. and sometimes even food, reigns. Writers and Unions Networking is always Laughter is a hallmark of AWC Fun, information and important, and AWC events allow gatherings. awards are all good things, but for animation writers to meet and An additional important animation is a business, and ani- get to know other writers and advance is health coverage. Much mation writers, like animation executives in the industry—always animation work is still non-union, artists, work in it. The support and important in getting jobs or figur- and even when writers work at protection of a strong union is ing out who to hire—and for shar- MPSC houses, not all animation important to the quality of life for ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 28 people working in the industry. fashion. For example, Disney’s fea- more visually-oriented. There’s no The Writers Guild of America dates ture films have formal scripts. question that animation writers back to 1921, when it was found- These scripts are boarded and have more in common with the ed as the Screen Writers Guild. reworked at the storyboard level, members of the WGA than they Over the years, radio writers and with sequences changed, added, do with the rest of the member- television writers became included or deleted. Then new scripts are ship of the MPSC in the membership until 1954, written, including these alter- when the Writers Guild of America ations, and the process repeats The Writers Guild of America was formally established as a Col- again and again. dates back to 1921, when it lective Bargaining Agent, a union Even though scripts now was founded as the Screen representing writers in the enter- exist as the primary form, anima- Writers Guild. tainment industry. tion writers have continued to be included in the MPSC Why is that Long a part of the Motion Pic- a problem for writers? Why should Among other things, most ture Screen Cartoonists Union they want to be represented by animation artists—be they anima- (MPSC), writers make up less the WGA? Because 90% or more tors, in-betweeners, storyboard than 10% of that union’s mem- of the members of the MPSC are artists, or ink-and-paint artists— bership. artists. Their problems and needs work on overall employment con- are different from those of writers. tracts, paid by week, on an on- One hundred percent of the Writ- going basis. While some anima- But animation writing was ers Guild of America membership tion writers are on staff, most are not included in the WGA’s charter. are writers. Animation writing is freelancers, working on individual Why? Well, because in the earliest very much like writing for live- scripts. They get paid by the days of animation, few if any for- action. The scripts look much the assignment, not the week. When mal scripts were written. Concepts same. The keys to storytelling, be it it comes to contract negotiation, may have been written out but adventure or comedy, hard or soft, especially against such hard bar- the actual writing gainers as the Associa- of the feature or tion of Motion Picture short was done in and Television Produc- storyboards. It was- ers (AMPTP), which n’t until the 1970s, represents Disney and when the half- Warner Bros. among hour television car- others, it’s hard to get toons started hold- the 90+% of the mem- ing sway, that real bership of MPSC who scripts were aren’t writers to hold employed on a out for contract regular basis. But demands that apply because writing only to writers. was traditionally done by story- Fighting for Unique board artists and Rights the “gag men” and There are many “story men” work- ways of abusing work- ing with them, ani- ers or not giving them An Animation Writers Caucus booth at the World Animation Celebration. mation writers Pictured, left to right, are AWC members Brooks Wachtel, Francis Moss and the respect they are remained included Richard Mueller. Photo courtesy of the WGA. due. The WGA would in the Motion Pic- like to see a number of ture Screen Cartoonists union. live-action or animated, are the abuses that have been common in Today, few cartoons and same. The only significant differ- the animation industry changed features are written in this older ence is that animation writing is or stamped out. One such is the ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 29 Cattle Call process of hiring The WGA’s Animation Writ- writers. A studio beginning ers Caucus is not really about production on a television getting writers out of one series would let the word out union and into another. It’s to all writers about a meet- an eventual goal of many ing. Dozens and dozens Caucus members but it isn’t would attend, hoping for a the only thing the group is chance to work. The show’s about. While money is an producer or story editor important issue, it’s far from would talk about the show, the central issue. Series Bibles would be The AWC is about making a passed out, and everyone difference. That sounds trite dismissed; sent home to AWC sponsors an ongoing series of panels and semi- but it’s also true. Every write a page or more for nars on various aspects of the animation industry. writer—everyone in any Shown here is Craig Miller, left, with fellow panelist and each of three, four, five or AWC member Gordon Bressack at the 1998 Animation job—has the right to be more story ideas/premises Opportunities Expo. Photo courtesy of the WGA. treated with respect. No one they came up with for the should be taken advantage show. Literally hundreds of story hired late in the season, that of. No one should be made to do ideas would come in, sometimes writer’s name never appeared on work without being fairly compen- for as few as six or twelve open any episodes. sated. The WGA wants to see the assignments, with the writers not Still another abuse is unlim- abuses of writers that have long knowing how futile their attempts ited rewrites. Studios would tell a been standard in the industry elim- at work were. writer to rework premises, out- inated. The Animation Writers lines, and scripts again and again. Caucus is the instrument to that Both the MPSC and WGA rules goal. There’s no question that ani- state that a script fee obligates the mation writers have more in writer to deliver up to two drafts of Visit the WGA Animation Writers common with the members of a script if requested by the studio. Caucus web site in AWN’s Anima- the WGA than they do with Some studios were notorious for tion Village: the rest of the membership of asking for four or more drafts of http://www.awn.com/wga-awc the MPSC. everything, but they wouldn’t pay extra for this extra required work. Another issue is screen The problem was exacerbated by credit. A writer’s task is important the MPSC contract, although cer- Craig Miller is chairman of the to any film or television program. tainly not deliberately. MPSC’s min- WGA’s Animation Writers Caucus. imum rate for a half-hour televi- There’s a saying that, to build a Miller has been an animation great building, you need a strong sion script is thousands of dollars writer for over a decade. Along foundation. Everything starts with below the going rate. The con- the script. If it’s bad, the best ani- tract stipulates that, for the mini- with his partner, Marv Wolfman, mation in the world won’t save it. mum payment, a writer will deliv- he created the series Pocket Plus, without a script, there’s noth- er two drafts of a script. Payment Dragon Adventures and served over scale—the amount above the ing to animate. Writers deserve to as executive producer, story edi- contractual minimum—applies to receive credit for their work. In tor and, of course, wrote many television, in particular, this was rewrites at the rate of $750 per episodes of the series. frequently a problem. Some shows draft. So if the going rate is $2,000 used to run “gang credits” at the over scale—and it is—then all end of each episode. Every script fees include the right for the episode had the same set of studio to ask for two or more extra Note: Readers may contact any names so one didn’t really know drafts before they even begin to Animation World Magazine con- who wrote the episode one just think about paying for the extra tributor by sending an e-mail to saw. Furthermore, if someone was work. [email protected].

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 30 Waste Management in Animation

by Lesli Rynyk hen we watch an ani- reserves the right to enter a busi- mated features and television. mated feature or Satur- ness and ask for their last audit One such company is Canuck Cre- Wday morning cartoon, results, read their management ations located in downtown we watch in awe of the art, to plan, and inspect their property to Toronto. Its President, Alan escape reality, or to be enter- ensure the plan is being carried Kennedy, founded Canuck Cre- tained. If we stop to think about out as documented. Penalties for ations Incorporated in 1993. Since the effort put into the creation of failure to comply with Regulation then, Canuck Creations has been animated pieces, we usually think 347 can be as extensive as jail time involved in such productions as about the amount of people and a fine. The goal of this regula- Space Jam (1996) for Warner involved in the production or the tion is to have a 50% reduction in Bros., Anastasia (1997) for Fox Ani- amount of hours it took to create. waste by the year 2000 and 80% mation, and the recently released, Rarely, is the amount of waste by the year 2003 (MOEE, 1998). Quest for Camelot(1998), again, generated over the course of the The problem lies in that the film for Warner Bros. However, the production considered. industry in Ontario, a growing one item that really makes this pro- business for the province, does duction company unique is that not understand that this law gov- they possess a waste manage- In March of 1994, the Province erns them. ment plan tailored to their busi- of Ontario passed Ontario Canuck Creations Incorpo- ness. Regulation 347 in the Waste rated Animation, a specialized sec- Management Act. tion of the industry, is expanding Problems Encountered rapidly. Sheridan Collage, located Canuck Creations was just outside of Toronto, is one of approached in February of 1997 Legislation the largest animation schools in to participate in a study of anima- In March of 1994, the the world. Walt Disney Studios has tion waste generation. It included Province of Ontario passed a large production studio in the participation in a waste audit and Ontario Regulation 347 in the Toronto area as well. In addition, the creation of a waste manage- Waste Management Act (the there are numerous small produc- ment plan. They were, in fact, the equivalent to an Assembly Bill, tion companies in Ontario which only company out of 48 contacted such as Assembly Bill 939 for the collaborate with the major studios in North America to agree to the State of California). This regulation, to produce some of today’s ani- project. For the most part, compa- a guiding device of the act, nies refused to respond to requires all organizations in the messages left on their the Industrial, Commercial, machines regarding the pro- and Institutional (ICI) sec- ject. However, there were a tors to perform a waste few interesting excuses audit every five years. In used to avoid participation: addition, they must possess - They are not a production and follow a waste man- company (despite being list- agement plan to reduce ed under ‘Production’) wastes. This regulation - They only have an office in does not exclude the Toronto. motion picture industry: - They only produce com- live-action or animated. mercials. The Ministry of Environ- - They only produce docu- ment and Energy (MOEE) © Canuck Creations. mentaries. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 31 tant to be involved be very similar to a regular office in a project that pro- as there are large amounts of motes environmen- paper and other stationary being tal awareness. How- used, however fluctuations in pro- ever, when it comes duction can vary. This gives an ani- to being part of the mation company oscillating rates reality of carrying of waste production. Also, smaller out the message, companies tend to have their ser- the preference is to vices contracted by larger studios escape into the that supply them with the materi- imaginary world als needed for the project to main- that has been creat- tain uniformity. This changes the ed in hopes the composition of their waste with problem will go each job. away. However, it is not going to go The Ministry of Environment away until everyone and Energy reserves the right accepts responsibili- to enter a business and ask for ty for their actions their last audit results...Penal- and chooses to ties for failure to comply can make it go away. be as extensive as jail time... Canuck Creations took the first step by Due to the uniqueness of choosing to partici- the business, a regular waste pate. audit, consisting of a detailed Problems investigation of the actual wastes were not restricted produced by a business during a to the film industry. period of a week or month, was Many environmen- not appropriate. One week or one tal organizations month would not portray an accu- Canuck Creations is located in a converted warehouse-style possessed only rate account of the wastes pro- space in Toronto. Photo courtesy of Canuck Creations. basic information duced over the course of a year. In - They are too busy at the moment on waste manage- addition, depending on the type to be concerned with this. ment, did not understand the of projects the company is - They are not in production at the scope of the project, or would not involved in, each year may also be moment. return phone calls. The informa- different. Therefore an environ- - They do not have enough staff to tion available today is limited not mental audit was conducted. This warrant a management plan. only in quantity but in quality as consists of walking through the - They are not interested in having well. Much of the information studio space, asking questions to a management plan. about waste management veered the staff, and assessing the pur- - They are too small of a company. in the direction of landfill process- chasing records of the company. - They are possibly interested and es. In addition, the information In Canuck Creations’ case, their will call back (i.e. don’t call us, available was extremely out of purchasing records covered a peri- we’ll call you). date. As for resources about waste od of one and a half years. - The production assistant just management and the film industry Over the course of the year, takes the waste to the landfill and together, it simply does not exist. visits to the studio were carried out dumps it. Nevertheless, there is an Anima- every two to four months to Judging by the influx of tion Waste Management Plan. update visual data, the purchasing environmentally-based story lines records were broken down into coming to both the big and small An Environmental Audit numerical data, and additional screens, it appears that it is impor- An animation company can information was sought from ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 32 other sources in attempts to cial/state legislation. However, piece a management plan goals should be reasonable. For together. Despite the fact that Canuck Creations Incorporated, there are very limited resources 50% waste reduction by the for this type of project at the year 2000 is an achievable goal. moment, the bulk of the infor- mation needed was in the audit. Changing Our Ways Canuck Creations is a paper- There are many ways to based business with paper change our habits without com- accounting for almost 30% of promising the quality of creativi- their supplies. However, it was ty. In fact, creativity in finding found that by changing pur- new paths to change can chasing habits, they could cut enhance the quality of our their continuously purchased work. Imagination is the key to supply numbers in half and curb this business and to improving costs by 26%. For example, the the environment. This can be purchase of 66 rolls of scotch done with simple acts such as: tape with plastic dispensers costs eliminating note-pads and post- Canadian $143.44, which is it notes, and using scrap paper more than 66 rolls of scotch and/or white boards instead; tape without plastic dispensers changing to mechanical pencils at $131.62, plus the cost of where applicable, and refillable investing in a couple of commu- pens (please note that nal permanent dispensers at biodegradable pens only $4.98 each. This total comes to degrade out in direct sunlight, $141.58. It may only be a cou- not in landfills); doing as much ple of dollars but it is the elimi- work on the computer as possi- nation of plastic dispensers that ble before printing; getting a cannot be recycled that is impor- Canuck Creations’ clean-up and photocopy fax/modem and an Internet area. Paper accounts for almost 30% of the stu- tant. Through reducing the dio’s supply costs. Photo courtesy of Canuck account to communicate via the need for scotch tape all togeth- Creations. modem (most magazines are er, the costs and wastes will be on-line as well); investing in per- reduced. In addition, the use of to construct a management plan sonalized coffee mugs instead of multipurpose tape can eliminate is to divide the business and Styrofoam cups; purchasing sugar the need for various types of tape, wastes into sections. For Canuck in bulk instead of single packets; and/or buying tape in bulk pre- Creations, their plan was divided and utilizing a reusable coffee fil- vents excess packaging. Both into four areas: Reception, Anima- ter. Buy products that can be ideas reduce costs and wastes. tion, Computer/Video, and Kitch- reused many times or for a multi- enette/Lounge. Then the wastes tude of things. They may cost are grouped by means of tactics to It was found that by changing more now, but they will save more eliminate them. Are they going to than money in the future. Another purchasing habits, they could be recycled, reused, or reduced? cut their continuously pur- solution is to send old art supplies In addition, how does the compa- to schools for kids to create their chased supply numbers in half ny plan on carrying out each of and curb costs by 26%. own masterpieces. Children do these points? It is important for not care if paintbrushes are not each company to identify their perfect, or if the colors are not the goals in their plan as well. They The Management Plan right shade. Trees are purple in Once the wastes were provide guidance as to how and their world. Non-profit organiza- identified and alternatives were when the plan should be carried tions are another sector often look- found, it was only a matter of out. Usually management plans ing for donations, which will also organizing a plan. The easiest way have the same goal as the provin- guarantee a tax write-off. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 33 More ambitious moves Canuck Creations took a include: leasing equipment such bold step forward through the as computers, photocopiers, print- development of their waste man- ers, etc. since old equipment can agement plan. However, there is a be returned to the dealer; insisting long road ahead and they are only that art suppliers take back pack- one company. The concept of aging or eliminate it all together; waste management plans in the requesting larger companies take film industry is a relatively new ANIMATION WORLD NETWORK back unused supplies at the end idea but a needed one. This pro- 6525 Sunset Blvd., of projects; choosing glass and ject has proved that both fields, Garden Suite 10 aluminum containers over plastic environment and film, can be diffi- Hollywood, CA 90028 since plastic is a petroleum-based cult to work with, and amalga- Phone : 323.468.2554 product and different grades/ mating the two is even harder. Yet, Fax : 323.464.5914 types make recycling difficult; in the long run it is worth it and Email : [email protected] investing in a composter for food cost-effective. The local Ministry/ scraps as the soil produced is rich Department of the Environment in nutrients that gardens thrive on; can provide more information on [email protected] inquiring about organic/veg- waste management planning and PUBLISHER etable-based inks for printers and legislation. Furthermore, the Earth Ron Diamond, President photocopiers; finding a company Communications Office (ECO) is a Dan Sarto, Chief Operating Officer that is willing to refill cartridges for non-profit organization that pro- EDITOR-IN-CHIEF printers and photocopiers; and motes environmental awareness Heather Kenyon choosing graphite over lead for through the media. They are ASSOCIATE EDITOR Wendy Jackson pencils. always interested in projects that EDITORIAL INTERN take environmental action in the Katie Mason film industry. We can make a CONTRIBUTORS : For Canuck Creations Incorpo- world of difference both on and Edmundo Barreiros rated, 50% waste reduction by off the screen. We just have to be Ged Bauer the year 2000 is an achievable willing to take that first step. Russell Bekins goal. Joseph K. Bevilacqua Debra K. Chinn Bill Fleming Wendy Jackson The Future Heather Kenyon Lesli Rynyk recently graduated Mike Lyons Often, many of our pur- from the University of Waterloo in Katie Mason chasing decisions are made for Waterloo, Ontario, Canada earn- Craig Miller today’s convenience, without con- ing her Bachelor of Environmen- William Moritz sidering the inconvenience it will Bärbel Neubauer make tomorrow. Animation is a tal Studies (BES). This project was Pete Nicholls business that prides itself on the part of her Senior Honours Thesis Barry Purves detail of the final product. The combining her interests in media Lesli Rynyk same detailed care should go into arts and the environment. Dan Sarto the decisions regarding the prod- ucts used to create that final show. OPERATIONS It is important to read labels, ask Annick Teninge, General Manager WEBMASTER questions, and demand changes. Jeff Williams We have to be careful with how Note: Readers may contact any DESIGN/LAYOUT : we treat the environment as it will Animation World Magazine con- Jeff Williams/ Steve Small come back and haunt us and our tributor by sending an e-mail to ADVERTISING SALES children later. We are as much a [email protected]. Dan Sarto part of it as it is of us. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 34 International Theatrical Dubbing: ItÕs More Than Meets the Eye by Debra K. Chinn nternational Theatrical Dubbing without dubbing’s mandatory all of the characters in a film. In has recently been the focus of voice testing and casting. Voice- some cases, if the film involves a Imany major studio “players” here over work also includes limited well-known actor, the local territo- in Los Angeles. With the growing editing, meaning there is minimal ry may have a voice talent already interest in feature films worldwide, synchronization and minimal on- cast for that celebrity. In anima- American studios are realizing screen or off-screen dialogue tion, some studios contract certain how to capture yet another rev- checks. actors to play their trademarked enue market and greater box characters. No other voice actors office share by dubbing their fea- can then portray that character in ture films into foreign languages. In order to achieve a high level the defined territory. A well-managed dubbing of quality, it is necessary to As soon as the cast is in process ensures that the integrity implement a dubbing process place and approved by the U.S. of the original version is preserved, which includes many compo- studio, the dubbing studio will creating higher standards in the nents. schedule the work sessions. A international environment. This script is sent to the dubbing studio not only makes a positive impact even if it is not final, so that the on the U.S. films’ international What Does it Take? dubbing facility can begin to trans- release, but also assists in increas- Once the dubbing studio late and adapt U.S. slang and ter- ing the value of the product by in the international territory minology to the native tongue. “branding” recognition and culti- receives a Voice Test Kit (“VTK”) This is not easy! Imagine taking out vating a reputation which is syn- from the U.S. studio, the voice test- all of the street talk in a U.S. rap onymous with quality. In order to ing process begins. The VTK con- song, re-interpreting it and then achieve a high level of quality, it is tains items such as: dialogue lists, translating it into Italian to the necessary to implement a dubbing character profiles and synopses, rhythm of the music. Once the

Twentieth Century Fox dubbed the animated feature Anastasia into 28 languages. © 1997 Twentieth Century Fox.All Rights Reserved

process which includes many voice casting recommendations, dubbing studio receives dubbing components. edited voice testing tapes with materials, recording begins. Dub- True dubbing “re-creates” edited voice samples for each bing materials include: a betacam all aspects of the original version character, and when needed, sto- SP with designated track configu- of the film into a foreign lan- ryboards, model sheets and size rations, a finalized script, a view- guage. It should not be confused comparison charts, as well as cast ing cassette of the final picture, with “voice-over work,” which has lists of the original version’s actors vocal playbacks which are guide limited parameters. For instance, with profiles on each of them. The tracks to help singers perform voice-over work suggests merely dubbing studio is responsible for vocales, and finally, a 35mm pic- reading dialogue from a script auditioning and casting talent for ture and 35mm sound track ele- ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 35 ments for the facility to use to per- form final mixing. The overall dub- bing process of recording, editing and mixing takes approximately six to eight weeks.

True dubbing “re-creates” all aspects of the original version of the film into a foreign lan- guage.

Before dubbing takes place however the U.S. studios need to do a little homework in order to make the process complete. Clear- ly separating music and effects tracks from dialogue tracks is imperative. The music and effects, or M&E, track needs to be clean, in other words, not contain any sounds that may need to be dubbed. For instance, if a song is playing in a scene’s background FilmLines, the dubbing studio in Russia. Photo courtesy of David Shufutinsky/FilmLines. and the singing is in English, we iting the amount of signage in the tial for large audiences for animat- need to think if this needs to be on cartoons or animated features. ed feature film product promises the M&E track, meaning it will Signs on buildings, placards that widespread attendance and thus, stay, or if it should be on the dia- people hold and food cartons, are dubbing is becoming a must. logue track and replaced with a all hot spots for trouble. If drawn Young children in non-English native language. Nothing is worse into the final cartoon, they cannot speaking countries are usually lim- than marrying a dubbed dialogue be replaced and just remind view- ited in their English skills so dub- track back to the M&E only to hear ers in other countries that the bing has always had a presence in English! It can also be very costly product was not originally made the animation realm. As the world and time consuming if the original for them. grows smaller, dinner and a movie version needs to be re-mixed, and have become a common family the dubbed version re-done. event all over the world. As a The U.S. studio also needs Young children in non-English result, American movie studios are to provide textless titles for the film speaking countries are usually finding a greater opportunity to as well. Each title card needs to be limited in their English skills so increase audience size due to the shot blank, without any writing on dubbing has always had a pres- attendance by both child and par- it, and provided to the dubbing ence in the animation realm. ents. Return visits to the theater facility. This way, the facility can are also now becoming common- write the credits in the native lan- place because in animation, there guage and superimpose them Dubbing:A Modern Day Must is always a hero, heroine and vil- over the blank title cards. Other- Dubbing animated features lain, as well as many other funny, wise, the titles would be too con- is now becoming the mainstream colorful characters which children fusing to read with both English for major U.S. studios. Some stu- can relate to and want to and the territory’s language bat- dios have been dubbing animated see…over, and over and over tling for attention. Another consid- product for the last 30 years, but again! eration that goes all the way back have been limited to home video Live-action features such as to the pre-production artists is lim- and television releases. The poten- Titanic and Armageddon are new ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 36 to the dubbing world but are now international distribution, it to travel to Russia to help direct making their own production and ensures more “value-added” the Russian language dub version. financial niche within the interna- advantages when a film actually Once the voice tests were submit- tional dubbing circles. Internation- goes out for marketing in a territo- ted by a local dubbing studio in al theatrical distribution groups in ry. Countries such as France, Italy, Moscow, reviewed and approved many countries are now actively Germany and Spain are prime ter- by Fox, the dubbing process participating in assisting major stu- ritories for dubbing feature films, began in the middle of December dios with the distribution of both not only due to their respective on the coldest day in 150 years! In subtitled and dubbed films. Dub- market share in the international the -41° Celsius, very old, but sub- bing, rather than subtitling, makes distribution community, but also stantially equipped, dubbing stu- films more appealing to a broader due to the recognition and pres- dio, I remember sitting next to the audience, and if marketed correct- ence that the internal companies director, finishing up a McDonald’s ly, can help turn a pretty penny of working with U.S. film industry cheeseburger, and working on the profit for the U.S. studio. counterparts gain. direction of the character, Dubbing is often referred Rasputin. Suddenly, I thought, ‘Is to as “foreign post-production” this one of life’s unspoken ironies due to its similarities with the In assisting 20th Century Fox or what?’ I was sitting in a film stu- domestic post-production process. with dubbing their first ani- dio which was originally built and Dubbing not only involves voice mated feature, Anastasia into used for propaganda for Lenin. It testing and casting of internation- 28 languages, I had the oppor- was Lenin’s uprising that caused al talent, recording, editing, and tunity to travel to Russia... the downfall of the Romanovs. mixing, but also, ultimately, shoot- In some countries, like Rus- ing an optical soundtrack negative sia, 90% of the feature films, tele- and manufacturing a check print Expanding the Need to Dub vision and home video product for distribution in the respective In assisting 20th Century are dubbed due to the fact that dubbing country or territory. Fox with dubbing their first ani- less than 20% of the population Though this foreign post-produc- mated feature, Anastasia into 28 speaks and understands English. tion process increases the costs of languages, I had the opportunity Due to the recent social and polit-

A sound engineer using a computer to match tracks at FilmLines, the dubbing studio in Russia. Photo courtesy of David Shufutin- sky/FilmLines. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 37 ical events which have occurred in must in dubbing. A good dub is Republic know, he means he’s Russia and many of the other C.I.S. based on accurate translation and proud of himself—not freezing of territories [the Commonwealth of creative and efficient adaptation, cold. Independent States, or C.I.S., is in addition to a good director, Note: The on-line version of the new determination for the sound engineer and mixer. A this article contains four Quicktime Eastern European countries that good facility with newer equip- movie clips of the title character in used to be part of the Soviet ment helps too. Once we had to the Fox animated feature film Block], these areas are now record voice actors in a room that Anastasia singing songs from the embracing the “ways of the West,” was home to not only the record- film in English, Portugese, Ger- which includes everything from ing studio, but also the account- man, Hebrew, Hungarian, Russ- dubbed DVD product to dubbed ing department! Without a wall to ian, Turkish, Polish and Greek. film features and “sing-along” toys separate the two departments, http://www.awn.com/mag/issue and books. recording had to stop each time 3.6/3.6pages/3.6chinndubbing.h accounting wanted to send a fax tml Once we had to record voice or received a phone call. actors in a room that was Theatrical dubbing is no longer seeing a “dubbed” movie home to not only the record- Debra K. Chinn is director of Fox ing studio, but also the with amusing lip synchronization and very awkward and compro- International Theatrical Dubbing accounting department! th mised voice acting. It’s an art, as is at 20 Century Fox Film Corpo- creating an original filmed feature ration and handles all internation- Another reason why dub- version. Let’s take it a step further. al live-action and animation the- bing is becoming a greater neces- We produce the entire film all over atrical releases. sity is due to the fact that a new again, in another language, and breed of international filmmaker is ensure that the voices match the making a mark in their own coun- original talent, the performances tries by emulating, and thereby match the characters, and most Note: Readers may contact any competing with, the work of importantly, if Eddie Murphy in Dr. Animation World Magazine con- many American films and filmmak- Dolittle says, “I’m so cool,” we tributor by sending an e-mail to ers. need to make sure that the audi- [email protected]. Being culturally aware is a ences from China to the Czech REGISTER with AAnimatnimatioionn WWoorrldld NNeetwtwoorrkk Today and..... •Receive our weekly Animation Flash E-Mail Newsletter. •Get announcements of AWN developments. •Be a part of the global community at AWN. •Interact with animation professionals, scholars and fans from around the world.

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ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 38 3D Meets Reality!

by Bill Fleming oday, stop-motion effects in Alien: Resurrection where the 3D problem is that light is never classic films like The Seventh aliens are self-luminous when white! In fact, it’s anything but TVoyage of Sinbad have been crawling through the dark corri- white. You see, the color of light replaced with 3D composites. dors of the spaceship. They are varies depending on the heat of Merging 3D and reality is one of brightly lit, yet the environment the light, which is rated in Kelvins. the most challenging aspects of around them is dark. As a result, it For example: sunlight during mid- digital effects. I’m sure you’ve seen completely destroys the believabili- day has a blue hue to it because this art at its perfection in films ty of the shot. it’s a very hot light, about 16,000 Kelvins. On the other hand, a can- dle flame is cool with a Kelvin rat- ing of 3,500, so it has a red hue to it. The closest thing we have to white light would be florescent light, which is slightly green in color.

Lighting is the most important aspect of compositing.

Now you’re wondering why we don’t see these colors in the world around us. Well, we actually do but our eyes compen- sate for the color shifting of light through a process known as chro- Blue Sky|VIFX created the creature visual effects for Alien: Resurrection. matic adaptation. Basically, our © 1997 Twentieth Century Fox. eyes attempt to convert all light to such as Dragon Heart, Men in Mastering Composite Lighting white. They are usually very accu- Black and Starship Troopers. In OK, so what’s the secret to doing a rate, though there is a 5% margin these films the compositing was perfect composite? Well, it’s actual- of error, meaning we will see exceptional. The creatures seemed ly not terribly difficult as long as some evidence of the actual light to be one with the environment. you know the main points of con- color in the environment around Of course, these are the few films cern when compositing. Let’s take us. To test this, just look at any where the composites were a suc- a look at the most critical points to object in the far distance, such as cess. The sad fact is that only 1 out consider when compositing 3D mountains, during a sunny day of 25 films will do the composites effects with live-action. and you’ll see a slight blue hue to correctly. More often than not the the colors. composited characters are over-lit Keeping this in mind, you’ll Light Color and with the wrong light color— It would seem that a bright need to determine the actual color making them stand out like a bea- white light is most frequently used of light in the live-action scene so con. One painful example of this when doing composite work. The you can properly light your char- problem can be seen in the film acters so they become part of the ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 39 scene. Of course, direct light color yet the lights illuminating them lates the volume of indirect light is only one part of the formula. were white. The actual color of very well. Simply place point lights There is another light to consider: the light should have been gray. around the character to simulate indirect (reflected) light. Of course, there was another the indirect light. Be sure to apply problem with the light: the intensi- some of the reflected object color ty. to the lights to ensure the effect is Indirect light is easy to simu- accurate. late through the use of point Light Intensity That does it for the most lights in the scene. Light intensity plays a major critical points to consider when role in compositing 3D effects into compositing 3D and live-action. live-action. As 3D artists we have Now, let’s take a look at how the Indirect Light Color the tendency to light all of our actual compositing process is han- In reality, light is reflected images directly. The problem is dled. off the objects in the environment. that in reality there are very few This is known as radiosity. This direct light sources. For example: Compositing 3D Effects with light, as it is reflected off the sur- outside there is only one direct Live-Action face of an object, will take on the light source, the sun. All other For the purpose of this dis- color of the surface. Basically, light is typically reflected, which cussion, we’ll take a look at a sin- when light is reflected off a surface means it’s diffused. Reflected light gle cel of an animation in produc- it will assume the color traits of the has far less saturation than direct tion at Komodo Studio. The goal surface and the light source com- light. of the project is to composite a bined. The strength in color will In the case of the alien goblin into video of an actual for- lean toward the surface colors. If creature, the model should have est. In addition to the character you have a red wall in a room, the been lit entirely with indirect light composite, there are several items light reflecting off it will be slightly so it blended into the passageway. added to the scene to turn the for- red-–not much, but about 5% red. There were no direct lights in the est into a goblin forest. Let’s take a Therefore, if you are compositing a passage. All of the lights were look at the steps in creating 3D 3D character into that room, you’ll reflected off the metal walls or fil- composites with live-action. need to add the reddish hue to tered through the protective cov- the reflected light sources for the ers of the lights. The direct lights Step 1: Creating the Fore- character to blend into the envi- heated up the character far too ground Models ronment properly. much to blend with the environ- When doing composite Light color was one of the ment around it. Indirect light is work you are often required to major faults in the composite work easy to simulate through the use place a character behind an exist- in Alien Resurrection. The aliens of point lights in the scene. A point ing object in the scene. This were in a gray metal passageway, light is omni-directional so it simu- sounds complicated but it’s actual-

Figure 1.1 Importing the live-action shot Figure 1.2 Creating the foreground objects. Figure 1.3 Creating the ground plane. into the 3D modeler. © Bill Fleming. © Bill Fleming. © Bill Fleming. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 40 ly very simple. The first ing of the source image. thing you need to do is This is done through the import a frame from the use of a projection map. live-action into your A projection map is basi- modeling program as cally nothing more than shown in Figure 1.1 the source image pro- Then you create jected onto the models the objects in the scene from the front. The dif- that will be in the fore- ference between a pro- ground. In the case of jection map and a nor- this animation it’s the mal image map is that a two trees in the middle projection map covers of the image. Using the the whole scene. Basi- image as a template, cally, the image is pro- build a basic mesh that jected over the entire takes on the form of the Figure 1.4 Positioning the models for the composite image. © Bill scene, so anything with trees. When completed, Fleming. the surface using the you’d have something projection map will like the image in Figure reflect the scene. This is 1.2. a great tool for com- Of course, for positing. our character to blend You need to load into the scene we need the source image into a ground plane so it the background of the appears as if he’s stand- scene as a template. ing on the leaves. Since Then load the models the leaves are rather and position them over chaotic, we need a the elements in the chaotic ground plane background image as or the surface will be shown in Figure 1.4. too flat underneath the You can see that I’ve goblin’s feet. To do this, also added the goblin I created an uncompli- model and the mush- Figure 1.5 Proper rotation of the models for shadow casting. cated plane with about © Bill Fleming. rooms and rock, which 100 polygons. Then I jit- are part of the scene’s tered the polygons and subdivid- cause the trees to be out of pro- transformation into a goblin ed them to make a bumpy sur- portion with the image. world. Figure 1.5 shows how the face. This process was repeated All right, now we’re ready models are all rotated to be paral- several times to produce the to look at Step #2. lel to the ground plane so the jagged, yet organic, ground plane shadows drop properly. shown in Figure 1.3. Once the models are in For the purpose of this discus- Now, when the goblin place, you need to apply the pro- sion, we’ll take a look at a sin- model is placed on the ground, it jection map of the background gle cel of an animation in pro- will actually sink into the leaves. image to the tree and ground duction at Komodo Studio. You’ll also notice the models. Now the last step in the ground plane was rotated to process is the lighting, which we match the perspective of the now know to be the most crucial. image. We could have kept the Step 2: Staging and Surfacing plane parallel but then we would the Scene Step 3: Lighting the Elements have needed to rotate the camera The key to an effective Like we discussed earlier, in the render and that would composite is to match the surfac- lighting is the most important ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 41 Figure 1.6 The final composite. © Bill Fleming. 1.7 The original source image before the composite effect. © Bill Fleming aspect of compositing. In the case they don’t overshadow them- more artificial than a straight seam of this scene, we need to place a selves—particularly when they are between objects. The jagged light above and behind the back-lit. ground plane literally wrapped objects to simulate the sun in the The results of the composit- the leaves around the composited source image. It will take a bit of ing effort are shown in Figure 1.6. objects. Grumpy’s feet are nearly testing but you want to position As you can see, both the goblin buried in them. the light so the shadows cast by and the new elements are con- Put a little attention to the new elements match the vincingly blended with the live- detail into your composites and source image. action shot. We can now see that you’ll soon be showing those Hol- The next step is to apply our little goblin friend Grumpy is lywood “big guys” how it is done! the indirect light to the scene so tracking a snail who is destined to the new elements blend properly. become soup for dinner. Once again, this takes a bit of Bill Fleming is president of Komo- experimentation but it’s well worth As you can see, both the goblin do Studio, a 3D studio specializ- the results. What I did was place and the new elements are con- ing in photorealism. He is the five lights in the scene. The first vincingly blended with the live- author of many 3D books, includ- was a direct light to re-create the action shot. ing the 3D Photorealism Toolkit, sunlight behind the models. The published by John Wiley & Sons. second was a direct light in the He also serves as editor in chief upper left to add volume light. The of Serious 3D magazine, a 3D shadows were turned off on the Pulling It Together magazine featuring nothing but light so there wouldn’t be conflict- While compositing 3D intermediate/advanced tutorials ing shadows in the scene. The effects with live-action can be a bit for artists interested in taking their third was a direct light in the of work, it’s really not terribly diffi- 3D graphics to the next level. upper right for the same purpose. cult as long as you pay close atten- An additional point light, with no tion to the lighting in the shot and shadows, was added near the take the time to add the elements middle of the trees to light them that make the composite really up. Finally, a light was added to convincing. The ground plane Note: Readers may contact any the character to pull him off the that simulated the leaves was very Animation World Magazine con- background. You will almost effective at drawing the 3D tributor by sending an e-mail to always need character lights so objects into the scene. Nothing is [email protected].

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 42

Here’s A How de do Diary: June by Barry Purves Editor’s Note: Lumps, The pressure really is the puppets and I start. warts and all, for on, and people aren’t Jean-Marc, the camera- eight months Barry thinking clearly, myself man, arrived from Paris. I don’t Purves will share his included. There is so think the language will be a prob- personal production much to think about. lem. Our passion for work will get diary with us for his Each department, us through; though, of course, current project with rightly, assumes theirs Gilbert and Sullivan is a little of an Channel 4, tentative- is the most important unknown quantity. ly titled Here’s A How department, but in de do. This film will practice, it can’t work take a look at three like that. I’m afraid peo- I suppose animation is Barry Purves men: Gilbert, Sullivan ple will just have to expensive—full stop! and Richard D’Oyly Carte. D’Oyly wait their turn. Carte brought Gilbert and Sullivan What I need now, is anoth- together and formed the D’Oyly er holiday. I would love to be able June 9th Carte Opera Company, which per- to walk into the studio and just The place is now looking formed Gilbert and Sullivan operas start filming. I don’t want to know like a functional studio, and I’m for 100 years. While the trio that the lens does not fit the cam- not even allowing the lack of a worked together for roughly 25 era. Nor do I want to know that camera or puppets to put me off. years, their relationship was every title we have suggested has They will be here in time. We’ve strained at best. How will the pro- been rejected—at this late stage, still so much to do, but most of the duction of their story go? All we this is ridiculous. sets and props have arrived and can do is read along monthly and are sitting patiently, giving the find out... June 8th appearance of something about We moved into the new to happen. June 1st - June 5th studio today. All very exciting. It I’m finally getting the Weeks do not come more was empty at nine and full of the barsheets for the first episode traumatic than this one. After detritus of filming by six. A real (again, cutting it close). I realized hearing The Last Post played by a transformation. To see all that how complex this film is—can we young bugler, as my father’s coffin equipment constantly amazes do it? There will only be four of us was lowered into the ground, I me—so much stuff for such a actually involved in the shooting have nothing left. small film. (Jean-Marc—the cameraman, I did come into work on The people in the neigh- Mark—the production manager, boring studios and offices thought Karen—my P.A. and myself), with Each department, rightly, the idea of a film going on was all the occasional work experience assumes theirs is the most very glamorous, and offered their person. important department, but in services! When I told them it was We have a tough four practice, it can’t work like that. animation, they all said, “Oh, like months ahead. Actors always Wallace and Gromit.” Oh well, at camp it up, talking about facing the Friday, and wished I hadn’t. At least they know Gilbert and Sulli- Everest every performance. I do the moment the film looks very van. understand. wobbly, with people not thinking The week ahead is daunt- Had a great chat to Michael clearly and a lot of mistakes being ing. How can we get ready in Curry, who was responsible for made—well, not mistakes so time? Of course, there is no most of the animation in the much as not being in top gear. chance of a rehearsal for me. I get Broadway Lion King. We are ten-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 44 tatively involved in a project. How June 11th films become some sort of memo- I would love to work with him, but Carte arrived and looks rial. this is not the ideal project. splendid! He’s currently asleep in The puppets finally arrived I was alarmed at my bank bed and that’s the last rest he’ll tonight and they are splendid— balance. Surely the director have for four months. I have to but I’ll have to be so careful to shouldn’t have to be overdrawn. send him back before the big day keep them clean. Their white bits The cash flow is very wrong here. as there’s a slight fault with his are dazzling. Also the lighting on Sadly, yet another very complex mouth. All the various the head is going to make them close tragedy hits our family. levers for the lip movements also very rich and opulent. I know peo- Enough is enough. As I was cause the teeth to move and I ple associate animation with receiving condolence phone calls, don’t fancy Carte hitting a high C brightness and color. Not in my so I am making them. A ghastly sit- with quivering lips and teeth. films!!! I love shadow and rich tex- uation. A few tantrums and moods ture. It is looking good, but we still on the set today, reflecting the Vic- do not have all our necessary torians (though I still don’t know equipment. Why not? Our starting Actors always camp it up, talk- who’s playing which role). It’s date has been etched in stone for ing about facing Everest every understandable I suppose as we four months. performance. I do understand. all have had so much to think about this week, setting up a June 14th working studio and sometimes Jean-Marc and I worked all communication gets forgotten. day in the studio, and Mark was in June 10th Karen’s little Bethany came the office. We are nearly there and Well, we have a camera in singing, “to fit the bit of a wit of it looks ravishing. Jean-Marc and I and I’ve seen it turning over, so a chit and that’s the long and the are very excited, but of course, I’ve that’s exciting. Plus, a few lights short of it” - “chit” though gets got final night nerves. We would have been pointed at D’oyly changed into something else. have to start with such a complex Carte’s head, and it shines won- Help!!! I’m corrupting a minor. long shot! I’ll be happy if we get derfully. No complete puppets yet, started tomorrow. but I saw a painted D’oyly Carte, June 12th But have I thought of minus his hands. He does look as Twenty-two years ago I everything? if he has been troubled with sleep- wrote a final thesis at Manchester Please let this go well! less nights. A loose strand of hair University entitled, “Gilbert and makes an enormous difference. Sullivan in Performance.” Now It was that day when I realized Now we are getting near, it here I am, only 300 yards from the that for better or worse, I can is clear we are seriously under- same university building, making a never make the film that is in staffed and under-financed. The film about Gilbert and Sullivan. It’s my head. constant answer of, “We can’t ironic that I’ve been round the afford it, Barry,” is frustrating. To world and end up where I started. get so near a huge film but to My cousin Judy’s funeral have to scrimp on everything is this morning was quite disturbing, June 15th difficult. Mind you, this is a rela- but like my father’s last week, A bunch of “Good luck on tively large budget. I suppose ani- everyone talked about all the your first day” flowers from Sue, mation is expensive—full stop! good she achieved and how that (the director I trained up), got the I’m a little worried about lives on. I suppose this is what my day off to a good start. Very kind the organization of this film. It’s film is about. The men may have of her. She understands how happening in an organic way. I gone but the joy and love of life in important today is. could do with a bit more solid their music and words live on. It’s a With one turning up the planning. good way to be remembered. pressure a bit, we managed to What’s this World Cup When I go I will really not leave start at 1:30. We had a false start thing...and what were those any descendants, so I have to unfortunately. Having to do all the bizarre bumble bees doing? hope my small, rather insignificant camera moves, light transition and ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 45 so on manually, really tests the track down the only Steenbeck in or let Jean-Marc tinker with the concentration and coordination. Manchester—there’s a sign of the lighting, but the director in me is That takes all my mind—not much times. Anyway, the rushes looked continually having to crack on at left for animation. However, we great, though we were unable to an alarming speed. It is a shame to got 16.5 seconds done of this 33- see them with the music. I think have to make a race out of this—I second shot. It’s hard to see what the story comes across! The ani- must not let that be the important it was like as the video image is so dark; a working light would be another thing to forget. Nor was the video able to play back the music (a bit like asking a ballerina to imagine the orches- tra as she dances), so...all in all, it was a strain, but I think D’Oyly Carte was thrashing about on the bed all right. A bit too much thrashing perhaps. Whilst all this is going on the financial saga behind the scenes continues to be an embarrass- ment.

June 16th The tableaux scene from Episode One: HMS Pinafore with Gilbert, Sullivan and D’Oyly Carte dressed as Too knackered characters from the Opera. Image courtesy of Barry Purves. to write much, after a truly epic day. G and S are now mation sadly is somewhat rough. issue. I feel that I have failed today here and look wonderful, though It’s clear I’m being spread a little as we have only done eight sec- I’ve found them difficult. I’ve found thin. It does have energy though. onds with all three puppets everything difficult. It was that day I’ve still not settled into the singing and dancing. Under any when I realized that for better or puppets yet—there’s been no circumstance that is pretty good worse, I can never make the film rehearsal time at all. going. I am distinctly hampered by that is in my head. Schedules, Such pressure. not being able to animate to the budgets, lack of equipment all see music and singing. I have to that, but ultimately, it is my barsheets, but I need the shot to It’s clear I’m being spread a lit- fault. I really am not the accom- build up with the music, as I do it. tle thin. plished animator I am in my imag- Some of the animation was dis- ination. So much compromise: tinctly underpowered, when I you don’t always get what you tried to synch it up with a tape want, but you can get what you June 18th recorder. All this is so primitive. need. There is such a conflict hav- Poor Jean-Marc is suffering with- ing to wear both a director’s hat out an assistant; just someone to June 17th and an animator’s hat. I want to tidy up the miles of cables and A wasted morning trying to take my time over the animation, glue everything down would save ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 46 so much time. However, in spite of June 22nd Clare Kitson called and the everything, we have 44 seconds The trauma of yesterday still saga of the titles continues - of film this week, and it charges lingered a bit this morning and I “Beyond the Pinafore,” “Modified along. Carte started to sing today was a little tetchy. Amanda, my sis- Rapture,” and “Cultivated; Cele- in a soprano voice—will the audi- ter, and I had cleared Ma and Pa’s brated; Underrated” are the ence accept that, especially as he house, and packed away genera- favorites now. They don’t exactly is singing tenor in a minute? tions of memories into a small van. trip off the tongue. Hopefully, once people work out We then had the sad task of clear- A fax from Pixar, asking if I’d what is happening, they’ll come ing all the flowers off the grave be interested in some teaching along for the ride. and replanting it. What a sight we there. Yes, sirree!!! That’s quite a What a big world outside... looked. Leaving the house was thrill to be asked. I can feel myself shutting an enormous emotional getting nearer and nearer to com- June 19th door. puters. A bit of a downer today— too much doubt. I’ve spent all I feel that I have failed today as Read Barry’s previous these years trying to develop and we have only done eight sec- monthly diaries in Animation be sophisticated. Sadly, the onds with all three puppets World Magazine, starting with the mechanics of animation get in the singing and dancing. June, 1998 issue. way. Perhaps that is part of anima- tion: surmounting the technical Understandably, I was less Barry Purves is a Manchester- side and getting some expression than sparkly this morning, but the based filmmaker. Through his out of lumps of brass and cloth. three puppets got into their stride, production company, Bare I had to mark some exam and were quite jolly. I was a little Boards Productions, he has papers for the University, as if I had impatient with Jean-Marc for tak- directed several stop-motion ani- free time. One lady said that film ing so long to re-light in between mated films and commercials, was the medium most free of con- shots, but he’s not wasting time. including Next, Screen Play, Rigo- striction. From where I’m stand- It’s time, of which we are so short. letto and Achilles. ing, I could not agree less. I was not able to stop shooting to Note: Readers may contact any I’m sure that even Citizen go to see the rushes. I can’t wait to Animation World Magazine con- Kane did not quite match Welles’ see it all cut together. We now tributor by sending an e-mail to vision. have turned a minute. [email protected]. Animation World SStore http://www.awn.com/awnstore

Never before available!! Original Production cels from the Oscar nominated film The Big Snit by director Richard Condie

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 47 Roots: An Experiment in Images and Music

by Bärbel Neubauer Editor’s Note: Roots is a painting without having a con- metamorphoses of color crete plan. I had composed some and form which is paint- elements of the music on the com- ed, drawn and stamped puter so there was a rough struc- directly on blank film ture. From there, both music and and corresponds to images were then developed in rhythm and music. The unison. main symbols of the film are the sun and sun wheels. The film has Both music and images then been included in developed from there in numerous festivals and unison. won “Best Abstract Film” at Zagreb in 1996. Bär- Roots. © Bärbel Neubauer bel Neubauer now ing colors, black ink, and OH pen The Production describes her creative process markers, as well as tiny stencils Using this technique of when producing her animated with stamp color, which I make painting on blank film I can work works of art. myself from rubber. as I go along: every image leads to When I started to make this the next, every sequence to the film, I had some of the main next. The colors and forms go to When I started to make this images in my mind. I started by the sound; the music to the film I had some of the main images in my mind.

“For the jury this is a uni- versal work of art. If you go with the music, the images also work. The film is a very free improvisa- tion of image and music. It causes associations and has the ideal length. What was first: the music or the film? It is good to hear, that both developed in parallel.” - Film- bewertungsstelle Wiesbaden, 1996

Tools and Preparing Roots is just one of my films that I create by painting and stamping ink directly on blank film. For Roots, I used photo-retouch- Roots. © Bärbel Neubauer. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 48 few years. Knowing much more about film than music in 1990, the images helped me to learn about the sounds.

The experiment takes place with the material and the movement.

My Meaning While painting Roots I con- centrated on the sun. I chose the title because the sun is the root of life, movement and vitality. Also the graphic look of the word - the two “o’s” being two suns - fitted into my associations. Most of the film is designed in bright and warm colors, like daylight. At the beginning of the last third, how- ever, there is a (soft) break, and darker passages introduce the final Roots. © Bärbel Neubauer. sequence of metamorphoses. I painted the film as it developed. images. If I have enough time to time to concentrate, in a medita- There are no cuts, and every work constantly on a film, it will tive way, on the subject, feelings image is used only one time. take about three to four months to and associations. paint a four-minute film. So, if it is It is always an experiment, Note: The on-line version of this an abstract film, there is enough because during this time I realize review includes a Quicktime movie what I am looking of Roots by Bärbel Neubauer: for. There exists http://www.awn.com/mag/issue no repetition of 3.6/3.6pages/3.6neubauer- another film. The roots.html experiment takes place with the Visit the AWN Vault for distribution material and the information on Roots and Bärbel movement. Neubauer’s complete filmography: Images and col- http://www.awn.com. ors are the same as numbers and keys of music. Bärbel Neubauer is an indepen- Because of this dent filmmaker based in connection München, Germany. between images and music, I have truly enjoyed the Note: Readers may contact any technique of mak- Animation World Magazine con- Roots. © Bärbel Neubauer. ing hand-crafted tributor by sending an e-mail to films over the last [email protected].

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 49 Comic-Con: Where Comics Are King

by Pete Nicholls n a city not so far away... designs were from one of the Car- somewhat involved with anima- toon Network’s latest shows, tion, but nonetheless, did not real- I Jonny Quest. The television sets ly emphasize their involvement in The biggest comic book ran episodes from another one of producing it. Sure, DC’s huge industry convention in the country the network’s new programs, Dex- video wall presented animation, brought industry professionals, as ter’s Laboratory. This was the Car- but that has been their token gim- well as fans, from all over the toon Network’s way of really get- mick for the past few years. world to San Diego to check out ting attention from fans and com- the latest and greatest. All of the petition alike. comics industry’s biggest names This year there were com- Sure, DC’s huge video wall pre- were at Comic-Con International paratively few exhibitors represent- sented animation, but that has in San Diego held from August 13- ing the animation industry that been their token gimmick for 16, 1998. Marvel, DC and slews of actually set up booths where one the past few years. others were all there publicizing could leisurely stop by, ask ques- their own projects and scoping tions and learn more. HBO Anima- out their competition. More than tion was there, along with Hash A Real Reason to Go 600 exhibitors made up of not just Inc., Animevillage.com and a few On the other hand, there comic companies, but also toy others. Hash was showcasing were many animation screenings and T-shirt companies and smaller their new, and quite impressive, 3- and panel discussions in the con- collectible shops, filled the mas- D animation software Anima- ference rooms upstairs. On Friday, sive, futuristic convention center. tion:Master with a live demo on a Mulan’s George Takei and director One related industry, however, PC. Animevillage.com had a rather Tony Bancroft answered questions was somewhat lacking in pres- large, walk-in booth that, about the movie in an informative ence and that was animation. although not as big or elaborate panel discussion. Later in the as Cartoon Network’s “Quest weekend, there were also discus- Cube,” was quite grand nonethe- sions regarding animation, like: less. There were also exhibitors like how and why blockbuster movies This year there were compara- DC and Bongo Comics that are end up as cartoons on TV, how tively few exhibitors represent- the character of Superman is ing the animation industry... reinterpreted for each type of media he is produced in, and Then and Now how to create cartoons that In past years, various ani- appeal to both adults and chil- mation studios and networks have dren. used Comic-Con International as a There were a few screen- marketing tool. Two years ago, ings featuring previews of the Cartoon Network set up a large, new Voltron, Speed Racer 2000, cube-shaped, walk-in booth com- War Planets, Fox Kids’ Fall line- plete with interior ramps that led up, and Bill Plympton’s movie, I attendees past walls covered with The San Diego Convention Center was the Married a Strange Person. Also hub of comic activity. Photo courtesy of the mounted television sets and char- San Diego Convention Center. featured was a popular voice- acter and prop designs. The over actor’s workshop. On Satur- ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 50 The bustling showroom floor at Comic-Con ‘98. Photo courtesy of Pete Nicholls. day, Cartoon Network screened a Platinum Studios’ chair- ter represented. Independent reel of cartoons produced by the man, Scott Rosenberg, who was comic artist and first time Comic- network that have never made it the main thrust behind the cre- Con attendee, Stew Noack felt to broadcast. This was a big hit ation of the successful film and that, “It would be a plus if there with fans and was one of the cartoon series Men In Black, has were more animation.” events that made the panel dis- been traveling to San Diego for In previous years, it seemed cussions and screenings really Comic-Con for 23 years. He says as though the convention was worthwhile. Professional story- that as a professional and a fan it’s getting smaller, and a bit less suc- board artist Ira Sherak explained a trip he enjoys making, citing that cessful in bringing fans and pro- that he enjoys the panel discus- it’s a good place to get a feel for fessionals together. Perhaps this is sions more than the exhibition everything that’s going on in the partly the comic industry’s fault, hall, stating that without the panel industry. His associate and Plat- but this year the convention tri- discussions and screenings, inum Studios’ vice president of umphantly showed off the new Comic-Con International would be production, Gregory Noveck, and hopeful within the comic “just a big toy convention.” explained that it’s a great place to book industry. The animation talk to the people that are creating industry, however, in many ways, future media and to “see what’s left itself out in the cold going on inside their heads.”

On the other hand, there were This is Pete Nicholls’ fifth consecu- many animation screenings tive trip to Comic-Con Internation- and panel discussions in the conference rooms upstairs. al. He has been collecting comic books and watching cartoons since the early Seventies. Since But in the End... then, he has written cartoons for The convention organizers Hanna-Barbera and has an ani- are aware of animation’s draw. mated kids series in development They used images of Bart Simpson at Wild Brain Studios. on their banners advertising the convention in downtown San Diego. It seems, however, that the animation industry doesn’t quite Note: Readers may contact any realize how many more fans and Animation World Magazine con- tributor by sending an e-mail to Costumed characters were everywhere! professionals would attend the Photo courtesy of Pete Nicholls. convention if animation was bet- [email protected].

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 51 Anima Mundi: The Audience is Key

by Edmundo Barreiros

magine a festival with no empty it sounds perfect,” said New seats... Zealand-born animator Erica Rus- I sel, one of 1998’s guests of honor. This is the most predomi- nate characteristic of Anima Hours before the day’s tickets Mundi, the only animation festival start to be sold, long lines form in Latin America. In its sixth edi- at the doors of the two cultur- tion, it couldn’t be any other way. al centers. The audience participation was even better than in previous years. Plus, for the first time, all of the The amount of people exhibits were also taken to São attending screenings is really one Paulo, the largest city in Brazil. The of the highlights of this festival. “It’s event’s burgeoning success was enthusiastic,” agreed American noted by the growing internation- animator Marv Newland, another al interest which was noticeable in guest of honor at this year’s Anima their experiences in special cours- the movie and video presenta- Mundi. Hours before the day’s tick- es held for aspiring animators. This tions. “This year we have more ets start to be sold, long lines form year’s guest was Ray Aragon, who and better films, and the sponta- at the doors of the two cultural gave lectures on animation neous participation has increased centers. Most of the attending design. “Everybody is interested due to the growing prestige of the public are teenagers, who hang and participates. From what I’ve festival. With each festival more around the festival all day long, seen, there seems to be a great people are getting in touch with watching every film they can and future for animation in Brazil,” he us, willing to participate,” said joining in the open workshops. said. Brazilian animator Marcos Magal- The results of Anima hães, Cannes award winner and Mundi’s five previous years of one of the directors of Anima From what I’ve seen, there exhibits and workshops have start- Mundi. seems to be a great future for ed to appear at this year’s festival. animation in Brazil. - Ray Many Brazilian films and a special Everyone Participates Aragon video exhibit of local artists’ pro- More than 20,000 people ductions have shown that the passed through two of the most quality of work, in commercial ani- important cultural centers in A Bright Brazilian Future mation, by young independent downtown Rio de Janeiro, either The success of these work- artists, and by Brazilians employed to watch films and videos or to shops is so great that this year a at some of the world’s most impor- participate in one of the many on- special one, dedicated exclusively tant animation studios, will soon going workshops, which intro- to children under eight, was creat- arrive. “A couple of the Brazilian duce the public to basic animation ed. The result was a fantastic, films in this special exhibit are very techniques. “One of the best entertaining and educational good,” said Erica Russel, who is things in this festival is its setting. experience that will be repeated interested in discovering more In the same space there are many next year. However, there were about Brazilian animation and art forms: animation, fine arts and activities dedicated to a more spe- other aspects of the country’s cul- theater. For me, who likes to bring cialized audience as well. Each ture. The growth of local produc- other forms of art into animation, year artists come to Brazil to share tion was recognized with the cre-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 52 ation of a special prize for films had to say good-bye to the festival made in Brazil. The audience in until August 1999. Before that Rio and São Paulo was responsible though, they chose the winners of for choosing one single title to win Anima Mundi 1998. In a move dif- this new award. The winner was ferent from other festivals, the win- the lyrical O Espantalho (Scare- ners are not chosen by a jury, but crow), by Alê Abreu, a beautiful rather by the audience. This love story between a girl and a democratic solution honored the scarecrow. U.S. short Geri’s Game by Jan New this year was the workshop for chil- Pinkava, and Una Nit, by Spaniard dren ages two to eight. Photo courtesy of Jordi Moragues, as the best pro- I know festivals from all over Anima Mundi. ductions in film and computer the world, but the ambiance of takes place in the district called the graphics, both in Rio and São this one is great. - Georges Cultural Corridor, a group of Paulo. The Best Film for Children Lacroix streets downtown with well pre- prize, however, was different in served architecture of the XVII to the two cities. Rio chose German XIX centuries. Beaches, of course, Es Wird Regen Geben (Looks Like A Lot of Local Color are also a reason to make anima- Rain), by Benedikt Niemann, and The local sights and quality tors from all over the world accept São Paulo chose the Canadian of professionals at Anima Mundi an invitation to travel way down Duel, by Pavel Koutsky. All four had been experienced before by South to Anima Mundi—especially were masterpieces that have left Georges Lacroix, France’s 3D ani- if the artist is a surfer, like Marv strong impressions in the minds of mation pioneer. This year marked Newland. “I was going to bring Brazilian animation fans. These his third trip to Brazil; each visit down my longboard, but the memories will last until next year, was to give lectures and work- organization has rented one for when the two cities will again, shops at festivals and large com- me and I will use it on my first free host Anima Mundi; an event that munications companies. His first day to ride some waves at a beach has become an important part in visit to Anima Mundi in Rio left called Prainha, an ecological the cultural life of the two most Lacroix with very good impres- reserve,” he said in the Animated important Brazilian cities. sions of the event. “I know festivals Chat after his lecture and presen- from all over the world, but the tation of his films, making for one Edmudo Barreiros is ambiance of this one is great,” he of the best moments at the festival, a journalist born and observed. and surely its funniest night. based in Rio de The charms of Rio de After two weeks of living Janeiro. He writes Janeiro are also one of the event’s and breathing animation, the pub- about animation, special attractions. The festival lic in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo comics and pop music for major newspapers and magazines in Brazil. He has been the text edi- tor of the Anima Mundi cata- logue since 1997. Most impor- tantly, he looks much better in person than in the funny portraits he sends to Animation World Magazine.

Note: Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine con- tributor by sending an e-mail to The Best Brazilian Film award winner, O Espantalho (The Scarecrow), by Alê Abreu. [email protected]. Photo courtesy of Anima ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 53 The Film Strip Tells All

by William Moritz

en Lye and Norman McLaren work demands special attention made such an impression with both for its excellent craftsmanship Ltheir abstract films painted and its beauty. Richard Reeves had and scratched directly onto film made five short works before the that when some other cameraless current Linear Dreams. The last of film begins to screen at a festival these, the 1994 one-minute Zig one often hears several disgrun- Zag, shows not only the fine sense tled voices saying, “McLaren and of rhythm and design necessary Lye already did this”—as if nothing for the composition of visual new could be done with the tech- music, but also a nice sense of wit: nique. Drawing or scratching an abstract figure is buffeted back directly onto film strips is just a and forth between the geometric technical means, and nobody swings. would think of saying, “Painting on cels? That’s already been done, Richard Reeves’ Evocative so I won’t watch this new film...” Imagery Several people like, the Italian Linear Dreams, at seven brothers Arnaldo Ginna and minutes, has an epic sweep. It Bruno Corra, the German Hans begins with a pulsating sound like Stoltenberg and the Belgian Henri a heartbeat and images of a throb- Storck, painted abstractions on bing red circle with nervous, film before Lye and McLaren, but scratched lines touching it from

these films do not survive for us to Linear Dreams. © Richard Reeves. the sides, as if they were electric or see or judge. Films like Lye’s Colour nervous impulses that were feed- Box and Free Radicals or McLaren like textures, is surrounded by rest- ing it vital energy. In rhythmic and Evelyn Lambart’s Begone Dull less, swirling currents. His 1991 bursts we see a rich variety of tex- Care are superb masterpieces that 14-minute Nocturne is again a tures and mandala-like circular one can see over and over, and deeply moving, and very beauti- configurations turning in counter- remember fondly. Plus, the tradi- ful, film. point to linear formations. Occa- tion of direct abstract film contin- sionally, we catch almost sublimi- ues: the great Basque painter Jose nal glimpses of strange creatures, McLaren didn’t do everything Antonio Sistiaga made a feature- perhaps the totem animals of a that can be done with the length direct abstract film, Ere shaman’s visions. Toward the end, direct film... Erera Baleibu Icik Subua Aruaren, the abstract mandalas begin to released in 1970, while Lye and yield to images of mountains, sin- McLaren were still alive. Believe it gle at first, then moving across a or not, all 75 minutes of it are fas- Two Additions to the Tradition long range of peaks, again sug- cinating, with a cumulative satis- Two younger filmmakers gesting a shaman’s flight. Howev- faction. Sistiaga’s 1989 7-minute have also devoted themselves to er, the “energy” mandala reap- Impressions In The High Atmos- making abstract films directly on pears at the very end for a neat phere is a breathtaking master- the filmstrip: Richard Reeves in closure. piece. A central circle, stable Canada and Bärbel Neubauer in The sound, also hand- except for its fluctuating enamel- Austria and Germany. Their fine drawn by Reeves, consists of very ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 54 beautiful visual images ranging of color, by the way, is also from simple conglomerations of exquisite, with an excellent bal- circles and triangles to elaborate ance of delicate shades and structures like peacock feathers, robust hues on the various snake skin, or spotted hides of forms and background textures. exotic animals. Occasionally The 1996 Roots continues these drawn sounds were in the same vein as Algorithms processed through regular elec- but the complexity of layering is tronic sound equipment to give miraculously even more intri- them an echo or reverberation, cate. A variety of figures—circles which works very well with the with spokes, stars, clusters of fast-paced, evocative imagery. lines, floral motifs—move at the Reeves worked for three same time (up to 20 figures at years on Linear Dreams, from once) in intersecting trajectories, 1994 until early 1997, using a passing behind and in front of variety of techniques, including each other. At one moment a scratching, painting in layers, ball with a reflection on it turns and airbrushing. All the work completely around while the was well worth it. The film is complicated movement contin- fine, and, like good pieces of ues behind it. music, bears seeing often, For all of these abstract numerous times, as each view- direct films, Neubauer composes ing yields new surprises and and performs her own music: Richard Reeves working on Linear Dreams. fresh perceptions. Photo courtesy of Darlene Amendt. something unique in the annals of absolute film (except, perhaps Bärbel’s Lovely Abstractions movements and changes of their for some of the middle Jordan Bel- Bärbel Neubauer made own—an astonishing accomplish- son films). She combines a mixture some 20 representational short ment for imagery drawn and of rhythmic elements that she can films in the 1980s. Her lovely 1993 painted directly on film. The sense prerecord on electronic samples Saturday Afternoon evokes the with live performance on clarinet mood of a pleasant holiday by and other instruments. These largely abstract images, with occa- compositions have a very personal sional glimpses of a staircase, a sound, casual and relaxed, and window, or other objects woven well-fitted to the mood profile of into the abstract textures as trans- formations, so that a cluster of dots fly away as birds. Reeves worked for three years The 1994 Algorithms is on Linear Dreams...using a vari- wholly abstract, and the anima- ety of techniques, including tion exceptionally fine, with lush scratching, painting in layers, textures, sometimes like leaf pat- and airbrushing. terns or butterfly wings, some- times plain, sometimes with col- the visual imagery. ors, but almost always layered, with complex figures and motions Moonlight and Craft on more than one level at the Neubauer’s latest work, same time. In one sequence, a Moonlight, has taken a new tech- three-dimensional triangle (drawn nical tack: it is scratched into black with thickness) rotates complete film stock rather than painted on turns while other elements and clear film stock. One is reminded background textures all perform Linear Dreams. © Richard Reeves. immediately of Len Lye, who ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 55 made a similar change not use any editing. All of from early painted films the effects, the layerings to the late black-and- and the precision move- white scratched master- ments, are rendered pieces such as Free Rad- directly onto the same icals. I am happy to filmstrip, frame by frame, report that the analogy with no chance for mis- holds parallel in that takes. This is a world Moonlight has that away from McLaren who, same magical quality at the National Film that Free Radicals does, Board of Canada, could although it is funda- animate in short pieces of mentally quite different film, painting in black on and wholly original. clear leader, then have Stan Brakhage said that the scenes colored by his film Mothlight Moonlight. © Bärbel Neubauer. optical printing and edit- showed the world as a Scratched into black emulsion, so ed so that only the good moth might see it, but I always felt that little edges of green and gold parts were used. Not that McLaren remain around some things, we Neubauer’s Moonlight...does seem to move through grasses Fortunately, we have new bril- have some authentic flavor of and leaves, see stars, and the liant artists like Reeves and how a night creature might see reflection of the moon mirrored in Neubauer to carry on in fresh its world. a pool of water. Intricate beaded territory strands, as if dewdrops clung to a spider web, move past little blos- wasn’t an excellent artist who it was a little bit more frenetic than soms and branches. A nocturne to couldn’t do very precise work— the moths I knew. Neubauer’s reckon with. quite the opposite. However, he Moonlight, however, does have One of the other miracles didn’t do everything that can be some authentic flavor of how a of Moonlight in particular, and all done with the direct film, and for- night creature might see its world. Neubauer’s abstract films: she does tunately, we have new brilliant artists like Reeves and Neubauer to carry on in fresh territory.

Note: The on-line version of this review includes Quicktime movies of Linear Dreams by Richard Reeves and Moonlight by Bärbel Neubauer: http://www.awn.com/mag/issue 3.6/3.6pages/3.6moritzfilms.html.

William Moritz teaches film and animation history at the California Institute of the Arts.

Note: Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine con- tributor by sending an e-mail to Moonlight. © Bärbel Neubauer. [email protected].

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 56 Dreamweaver is Pretty Darn Dreamy

by Dan Sarto design and create professional graphic images and correspond- looking web pages. The graphical ing URL links just as quickly. user interface displays the right I’m the type of developer amount of information without that would rather reformat old being cumbersome, unwieldy or floppies than spend hours poring confusing. The window and through documentation. When I palette layout is tight and func- get stuck, I go straight to the tional without making me dizzy. index, and work my way back- No more tennis elbow moving wards through the manuals to everything around before I can find the reference materials I need. actually use the program to do Dreamweaver’s documentation is something. How novel. clearly written, and the on-line help is indeed helpful. The Macro- Quickly Getting to Work media web site is dedicated to Several things about the support the Dreamweaver user © Macromedia. program immediately impressed and the developer community has haven’t used every single new me. First, I was able to edit some proven extremely useful. For web authoring tool on the mar- pretty sophisticated pages in min- example, poring over several real- Iket, and chances are I never will. utes, without glancing at the man- life code examples helped me I’m much too busy cheating at ual, clicking the help button, or understand some of the more Duke Nukem. So, I honestly can’t calling our webmaster on the advanced program features involv- say that Macromedia’s intercom. Creating several new ing rollovers, where the user can Dreamweaver version 1.2 is better pages, in this than every other such program on case some the market. What I can say is that commerce cat- since I began using this product, I alog proto- am hard pressed to find a reason types, was why I would ever need or want to equally as easy. switch to another web page New tables development program. can be inserted on the page quite easily, The graphical user interface their place- displays the right amount of ment, width, information without being border size and cumbersome, unwieldy or con- other attributes fusing. configured from the Prop- The program boasts a com- erty Inspector prehensive array of features that palette in a let both novices and experts alike snap. I popped A screen shot of the AWN home page being operated on with on some Dreamweaver. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 57 program different “behaviors” to Something for Everybody html editing engine, Dream- occur when a mouse passes over The second thing that real- weaver’s HTML Inspector allows a certain section of the page. ly impressed me about the pro- me to futz all I want, and a single gram was that, with one mouse click back on the main screen click, I could open Dreamweaver’s interprets my raw code edits in Is it any wonder that third HTML Inspector, a raw html edit- real time within the Document party technical “how-to” man- ing window where I could edit the Window display. For more sophis- uals now outsell low-fat cook- code side by side with the ticated raw html code editing, the books? Dreamweaver Document Win- program comes bundled with dow WYSIWG graphic editing BBEdit for Macintosh users, and screen. Despite the fact that by Allaire’s HomeSite for Windows Technical Support playing with html code, I consis- users. It never ceases to amaze tently destroy more perfectly good The program’s sophisticated me how many software compa- web pages than I ever create, I am web design capabilities should not nies leave their users high and dry not deterred from my quest to edit confuse or intimidate the more after purchase, providing web the code directly. Programming novice user. One doesn’t trip over sites containing pitifully outdated instincts die hard. I like to see the more advanced features to get and incomplete FAQs and expen- what’s under the hood. Okay, I just started creating simple pages. The sive “incident” packages as the like to futz with html code and see Document Window displays the sole means of technical support. Is what all those letters in brackets page much as it would look in a it any wonder that third-party really do. While not a full-fledged browser - a simple menu choice technical “how-to” manuals now outsell low-fat cookbooks? Product purchase is only the beginning. If I’m going to invest hundreds of man hours and thousands of dol- lars of developer time in such a tool, the software developer should be as serious about the product as I am, especially web page design tools. The browser battles with their Java tug-of-war, standards changes within the HTML and DHTML specifications, compound- ed by the varied and buggy ver- sions of browsers that populate the bazillions of PCs around the world, make web site develop- ment a complex and often difficult task. Macromedia’s Dreamweaver program is built and promoted as a professional tool that anyone can use, and their support site is ample evidence of their commit- ment to the developer base. I see no reason to doubt Macromedia’s intention and capability to devel- op and upgrade Dreamweaver as the realities of development for the web shift in the near future. Dreamweaver’s interactive help pages. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 58 Dreamweaver’s HTML Inspector. goes one step further and displays pages back to 3.0 version browser Diet Coke. the page in any or all of the non-DHTML enabled page code, Dreamweaver stands out browsers installed on the comput- and importing and editing of exist- among the new generation of er. The Property Inspector, a float- ing pages without mangling the web authoring tools for a number ing tool palette, lets one very easi- code structure (referred to as of reasons. It’s support for timeline ly change font size, color, image based animation and the style source, alignment, link a URL, etc. sheets of DHTML give serious Conversely, advanced The program’s sophisticated developers tremendous control users, or users wishing to make web design capabilities should over the look and performance of the jump to the latest, state-of-the- not confuse or intimidate the their web pages. Powerful page art web design concepts and tech- more novice user. editing features gives one the best niques, should find Dreamweaver of both the WYSIWG and HTML stuffed with capabilities many of Roundtrip HTML). code editing worlds. Plus, it’s intu- us hacks may never use. For those managing or itive and quite easy to use. Put planning larger sites, these features all together, and Web sites Big and Small Dreamweaver provides a library you get a program that’s pretty Chief among these capabil- for commonly-used page compo- hard to beat. ities are: support for Dynamic nents. From code snippets to HTML (DHTML), and timeline- entire page templates, edits made based animation and object within the Dreamweaver Library Dan Sarto is an accomplished behavior management, behavior will update any page that includes “hack” technologist and co-pub- support for such actions as image those library components. For lisher of AWN. swapping, pop-up boxes, mouse anyone who has ever mis-spent actions, and sounds, the ability to the prime of their youth replacing build pages in support of different navigation bars and banner Note: Readers may contact any versions of both Netscape Naviga- graphics on every page within a Animation World Magazine con- tor and Microsoft Internet Explorer, web site, this library function is tributor by sending an e-mail to conversion of DHTML enabled worth its weight in Cheetos and [email protected].

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 59 Fireworks: Does it Have a Special Spark?

by Ged Bauer

or a long time a suite of pro- cation. Companies grams has dominated the can hype all they Fgraphics world; Adobe Pho- want, but if you toshop, Adobe Illustrator and need to spend too Quark Xpress. Then there are pro- much time trying to grams like FreeHand, Pagemaker, get the thing to and Corel Draw which definitely work, any advan- deserve an honorable mention in tage the new pro- the must have category for graph- gram offers quickly ics. But really, graphics are graph- loses value. ics, whether it’s for a letterhead, Despite all logo, magazine ad, or World Wide my cynicism, Fire- Web page, right? Wrong. Accord- works passes this ing to the brains at Macromedia, test with flying col- you no longer need an expensive ors. The manual suite of programs to fill all your with the most neces- image editing, drawing, and lay- sary information is out needs. Well, color me skeptical paper thin. The because the software industry is interface and tools filled with a lot of programs that are a literal morph of make promises that they do not Illustrator, Quark © Macromedia. keep. If I had a nickel for every Xpress and Photo- program that claimed to be the shop. One draws with the same on its promises? Is it a web graph- “all-in-one-be-all-end-all” applica- kind of tools that are found in Illus- ics workhorse? Will it steal a mar- tion, I’d be rich. Let me introduce trator. The same methods and ket share away from the reigning to you Macromedia Fireworks, the tools for layout in Quark are pre- champions? The answers are yes, “Premier Production Tool for Creat- sent and Photoshop layer apply yes, and quite possibly. The fact is ing Web Graphics.” modes are included in Fireworks that Fireworks is a powerful pro- as well. It even goes so far as to gram. You can create complex, use a lot of the same terminology vector-based objects and text, If I had a nickel for every pro- in the menus and commands export it as a JPEG, GIF, Animated gram that claimed to be the found in the common applica- GIF, or even a Java-scripted “all-in-one-be-all-end-all” appli- tions. A clear, and successful, effort cation, I’d be rich. was made to assure that artists A pleasant surprise was Fire- familiar with popular graphic pro- works compatibility with other grams would feel at home from graphics programs. the minute they opened Fire- Jumping In works. rollover. Normally, you would The first thing I look for in a draw that in Illustrator, maybe a lit- new program, is how quickly I can Smoothing Out the Hops, Skips tle work in Quark, and rasterize jump in and start producing great and Jumps the image in Photoshop. From works of art—or at least a new That said, it’s time to move there a cryptic export into a JPEG banner ad. It’s probably the most on to the inner workings of the or GIF. Which format do you use? overlooked aspect of a new appli- program. Does Fireworks deliver You have to rely on experience

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 60 The tools palette in position, which is nice because TIFF, BMP, ASCII (Text) Illustrator, Fireworks is no different everybody changes their mind. CorelDRAW, and FreeHand docu- from other graphics Instead of guessing during the ments. An even bigger surprise programs. export like you would in Photo- was the fact that vector-based and gut instinct, shop, Fireworks gives you an drawings, from Illustrator, Free- and sometimes accurate display, and lets you Hand, and CorelDRAW, were fully you’ll have to do it compare between JPEG and GIF editable when imported into Fire- again. For some ani- file formats, even at varying quali- works. The only major drawback mation, you’ll have ties. with importing and exporting, to move to a spe- Making the GIF animations and Fireworks in general, is that it cialized GIF anima- and Java rollovers takes merely does not seem that one can tion program. If you one step in Fireworks: just make export a vector-based file from want a Java-scripted your multiple frames of animation Fireworks, to use later in another rollover button, you (if you are doing a Java rollover program. Meaning that if you will have to find you make your “Up,” “Over,” draw a complex and time-con- either someone to “Down,” and “onClick” versions of suming composition in Fireworks, do it for you, learn the button), and export as you you will have to redo it in Illustra- how write Java wish. Fireworks will generate any tor or FreeHand if, for example, yourself, or “bor- code (even Java) necessary for an you want to use it for any printed row” the code from exported graphic. All you have to work. Maybe this could be an a generous web do is ask. addition for the next version. site. During that With all the great things hop, skip, jump, Although Fireworks delivers that Fireworks can do, should you and back flip, you are likely to lose on a lot of promises, you still throw your present army of graph- color accuracy, sharpness, lots of need the nuances and pure ic programs out the door? No. time, and your mind. power that a variety of pro- Although Fireworks delivers on a The same scenario in Fire- grams can provide you. lot of promises, you still need the works goes a lot smoother to say nuances and pure power that a the least. You do not need to variety of programs can provide switch programs to adjust the More Extras you. You need the vast array of position of an element, or to A pleasant surprise was Photoshop filters and the printing change the point size of text. It’s all Fireworks compatibility with other and layout capabilities of Illustrator adjustable in Fireworks, and it graphics programs. It’s possible to and Quark. To wrap things up, I stays that way. It’s always possible import Photoshop (and still keep am definitely sold on Fireworks. It to edit each element in your com- the layers separate), GIF, JPEG, saves time, effort, and a lot of guess work that is necessary when jumping from program to pro- gram and back again. It is a wel- come addition to any web design- er’s toolbox, especially mine.

Ged Bauer is the former webmas- ter of Animation World Network.

Note: Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine con- tributor by sending an e-mail to An Adobe Illustrator document opened in Fireworks can still be edited as if it was cre- [email protected]. ated in Fireworks. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 61 Inside Disney: The Archives and Animation Research Library by Katie Mason alt’s business card. Maquette models from WBeauty and the Beast. A Mickey Mouse children’s book in Bulgarian. Background art from 101 Dalmatians. Boxes of memos from Roy Disney. These are a few of the treasures of Disney history which the company has saved in The Archives and The Animation Research Library.

If you think of all the compa- © Disney.All Rights Reserved. nies in this country, not many others reuse their past as marily for company use but seri- An Interview with Dave Smith much as Disney does. - ous students and writers doing of The Disney Archives Dave Smith research on Disney subjects can make an appointment to use the Katie Mason: You founded the The Walt Disney Archives collection as well.” Archives in 1970. What moved was created in 1970 and is a col- The Animation Research you to do this? lection of books, periodicals, cor- Library emerged from the Anima- porate correspondence, and other tion Department’s morgue in the Dave Smith: I had been working items from the history of the com- late 1980s. It houses art from all of as a librarian at UCLA for five pany. Founder Dave Smith states Disney’s 36 animated features and years, and I’d done a little work the purpose of the archive is “to numerous short subjects. It caters with Disney. On my own, I’d pre- collect and preserve all the history to artists in Disney’s Feature Ani- pared a Disney bibliography, list- of Disney and make it available to mation division and is not open to ing Disney films, television shows, the people who need it. It is pri- the public. books and things like that. I got to know people at the Disney Com- pany while I was doing that. When they decided to do some- thing about preserving their own history, I was in the right place at the right time. I wrote a proposal for them, saying they might want to set up an archive and they hired me to come and do it. We started from an empty office, but we’ve got a lot of stuff today.

Dave Smith and the Walt Disney Archives. Photo courtesy of the Walt Disney Compa- KM: What was the company’s ny.All Rights Reserved. interest in creating an archive?

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 62 DS: We were starting to lose some betical by each year. It must be a key old-timers here in this compa- couple hundred boxes of corre- ny. Walt Disney died in 1966, Roy spondence. We have Roy Disney’s Disney died in 1971, and up until correspondence too and various that time if you’d had a question correspondence of other execu- about the early days of the com- tive officers of the company pany, you could go and talk to the through the years. I’m sure some person that worked on Snow day we’ll get Michael Eisner’s cor- White or Steamboat Willie for respondence. example. If you think of all the com- A Discussion with Lella Smith, panies in this country, not many Doug Engalla, and Vivian Proco- others reuse their past as much as pio of the Animation Research Disney does. So many things that Library (ARL) Disney did years and years ago are still important in the company’s KM: Why did the Animation projects today. A good example is Research Library start? Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a film we made back in Lella Smith: The company was 1937. We put it on video cassette looking for a vehicle whereby any and I think it’s the second largest division of Disney could come in selling video cassette ever. and get images for their projects But, of course, we can use whether it be Art Classics, Walt Dis- that film in so many other ways. Floor-to-ceiling boxes in one of the vaults ney Imagineering, or Disney We can do books, records, educa- at the Animation Research Library. Photo Cruise Lines. They come to the ARL by Katie Mason. tional materials, computer soft- and that image can be provided ware, an attraction at Disneyland, to them as reference. run it on the Disney Channel, put DS: The question that we’re asking It is easily the largest anima- an illustration on our Disney cruise [here at the Archives] is how are tion library in the world and a pret- ship. There’s so many new differ- we preserving the business corre- ty valuable asset to the company. ent ways we can use these pro- spondence of executives when Not only because of its value, but jects than we did so many years they’re doing it on e-mail. You because [the material is] used and ago. When you’re delving into learn so much about a company re-used. your company’s past so much, you through the correspondence of its need a department that’s put executives. If they’re doing a lot of Vivian Procopio: Mainly, the art- together the information that you their work on e-mail or over the work here is geared to help the need to have access to—that’s telephone, which seems to be a upcoming artist to learn how ani- why the archives were set up. lot more common today, it’s going mation was done in the past and to be a lot harder to document. for inspiration and ideas. Other When people come along 20 projects include the books that are Mainly, the artwork here is years from now [it will be harder] published on animation. [Authors] geared to help the upcoming to know what was going on in usually come here for reference to artist to learn how animation 1998. put in their books. was done in the past and for inspiration and ideas. - Vivian KM: Do they have all of Walt’s cor- Doug Engalla: Walt Disney Art Procopio respondence? Classics tend to turn to the anima- tion art to stay as faithful to the KM: How do you go about pre- DS: We have all of that. That was, original as possible. It’s such a serving animation history when so thank goodness, maintained by sophisticated audience out there, much is being done on comput- his secretaries and it’s well they will still step through a video ers? arranged by year and then alpha- and look and see how close it is. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 63 It’s a very savvy audience. found a polyethylene that goes between the layers of the cels LS: Plus, the Disney company so that the paint doesn’t stick. likes the product to be on- We have a sleeve that we can model. It’s our hope that they slip the paper backgrounds into will come to us and get the because the backgrounds are actual image and the result will often just a long piece of paper really look like Mulan. and if you touch them you can not only get oil on them but it VP: As precise to the charac- damages the paper. We also ter—design, color, and all the developed a cel mat holder different elements—as possi- that would allow the weight to ble. be around the edges of the Each box in the Animation Research Library con- cardboard folder so that you LS: Even TV animation, if they tains carefully numbered pieces of artwork. Photo could hold it and not press the have a spin-off, wants to make by Katie Mason. cels on top of each other. certain that the characters are it was very helpful for them. There’s a lot more known about true to the original film, so they the damage of rubber bands and come here. LS: One thing they were trying to paper clips and staples and we’re do was evening scenes, which are doing our damnedest to get all really hard to do, so Doug pulled that out. So we’ve been working Walt Disney Art Classics tend several of the night scenes. hard to find ways to protect the art to turn to the animation art to better. stay as faithful to the original KM: How is the art preserved? as possible. - Doug Engalla KM: How do you go about pre- LS: We had a whole line of materi- serving animation art in an era of als developed for animation. There digital ink and paint and comput- KM: So an animator could go back are all kinds of archival companies er animation? and study exactly how the prince that focus on supplies for museum kissed Snow White and model collections, but we had very differ- LS: We are getting more of the col- their newer animation on that? ent needs, different sizes. We lection digitally and that’s a chal-

LS: Yes. It’s here for the animators to use. We’re actually under Fea- ture Animation so we have a real love and dedication to them. They’ll come here and they’ll flip drawings. It’s really interesting to watch because even artists who feel that they are really, really advanced in animation will come and look at a Milt Kahl or a Marc Davis and say, “Whoa. I gotta go practice drawing again.”

DE: Recently, we had background and layout artists from a current project look at art from Lady and the Tramp. Subject-wise it doesn’t look like it relates at all to what they’re doing, but technique-wise Rows of maquette models from Beauty and the Beast. Photo by Katie Mason. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 64 lenge for us because we have to good thing. continue to learn as we go. But Researchers can make an appoint- Katie Mason was an editorial we’re able to work very closely ment at the Disney Archives only assistant at Animation World with CAPS [Computer Animation by calling (818) 560-5424. Magazine.A longtime animation and Production System which reader and fan, she watches car- unites Scene Planning, Scanning, Note: Readers may contact any toons each Saturday morning Animation World Magazine con- Color Model, Ink and Paint, and and is currently studying toward tributor by sending an e-mail to Compositing]. Some of the images her university degree. may simply be stored on-line and [email protected]. we’ll pull from those. Now we can look into the Fame system, which tells where everything is moving and how many layers were on top of a background. It’s not as straightforward as it was before CAREERCAREER because you’d go and pull a cel and put in over a background and CONNECTIONS you’d have a cel set-up. But we’re CONNECTIONS working very closely with the tech- Animation World Network’s nology division. Since the color is created on the computer, we find recruiting section offers free postings ourselves working more with the and access to artist resumes computer folks. as well as recruitment advertisements

The exciting thing for us is we’re trying to keep up with “The recruiting site technology. - Lella Smith reaches thousands of artists from all DE: Luckily though, we’re still very traditionally-based as far as anima- disciplines, quickly and tion is concerned. There will always be a desire, even in the efficiently. AWN certainly digital age, to see the foundation. lives up to its name Even if currently we’re unable to provide a color image for some- world-wide.” body on the outside, we still have character designs and pre-produc- -Machi Tantillo tion art that is very important to any feature project. Director of MTV

LS: But the exciting thing for us is Animation we’re trying to keep up with tech- nology. Technology is not neces- - RECRUIT TOP TALENT sarily a bad thing for us. Where AT A FRACTION OF previously we were only able to provide a color copy, now we can THE COST OF PRINT ADVERTISING scan the art and give a digital file in any format people need so they www.awn.com/career can go right to press, and that’s a ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 65 by Wendy Jackson

terive (King of the Hill), Chris Sheridan (Family Guy) and Pat Verrone Even (Futurama), as well as Dilbert reads WGA staff Paul Nawrocki, the news... Image © UPN. Jane Nefeldt, Susan Ger- All Rights akaris, Christine Albrecht- Reserved. Buehler and Kay Schaber. In a separate agreement SAG Speaks For signed with Imagine Tele- Cartoon Voices. vision in May, the guild A tentative agree- also established a contract ment covering for writers on another Fox voice-over perform- The PJs is one of Fox’s many prime-time animated prime-time animated ers working in tele- shows which will now have writers contracted series, The PJs. through the Writers Guild of America. © Touchstone. vision animation has been reached Business This issue of Animation World between The Screen Actors Guild Magazine includes an article (SAG) and negotiators represent- Writers Make Prime-Time Pact about the WGA’s Animation Writ- ing approximately 60 animation With Fox. The Writers Guild of ers Caucus, by founding member producers, including Disney, America has forged an agreement Craig Miller. with Twentieth Century Fox to Warner Bros. and DreamWorks. cover writers working on prime- The terms of the tent tive agree- time animated shows The Simp- ment have been approved by sons, King of the Hill, Futurama SAG’s negotiating committee, and Family Guy. This is of great but was not be released publicly significance for animation writ- until they were approved by ers and WGA’s Animation Writers guild members. To facilitate this, Caucus, because it gives anima- a special meeting for SAG mem- tion writers on these shows the ber television animation per- same benefits as their live-action formers was held on Wednes- counterparts, such as mandato- day, August 19 at 6:30 p.m. at ry payment for re-writes and the Sheraton Universal Hotel in access to the WGA health insur- Universal City, California. ance plan. WGA’s acting execu- People tive director Brian Walton said, “It is our hope that this far-sight- Musical Chairs.Anne Sweeney ed agreement will lay the frame- has been named president of work for similar contracts in this Disney/ABC Cable Networks, genre.” The negotiating team filling a position left vacant for the deal included Larry Doyle when Geraldine Laybourne left Anne Sweeney has been named president of in June to form her own media and Dan Greaney (The Simp- Disney/ABC Cable Networks. Photo courtesy of sons), Alan Cohen and Jim Dau- the Walt Disney Company. company. Since 1996, Sweeney has been president of the Disney ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 66 THEANIMATION FLASHwww.awn.com/flash

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Advertising: Dan Sarto [email protected] Subscriptions:Subscriptions www.awn.com/flash Editorial: Heather Kenyon [email protected] AWN Headquarters, 6525 Sunset Blvd., Garden Suite 10, Hollywood, CA 90028, USA tel ++ (1) 323 468 2554 - fax ++ (1) 323 464 5914 www.awn.com Channel, a title she will retain with been named an industry advisor the promotion, which will add sev- for the American Museum of the eral programming outlets under Moving Image in New York. The her wing: Lifetime, A&E, The His- company will also participate in tory Channel and E! Entertainment two upcoming presentations at Television, as well as ABC’s Satur- the museum: “T-Rex: Back to the day morning line-up. Prior to Dis- Cretaceous” and “Behind the ney, Sweeney was at FX for three Screen.”. . . . London-based Car- years and at Nickelodeon for 12. . toon Network U.K. has promot- . . Film Roman has hired ed Brett Foraker to the newly- Mitchell Solomon as president of created position of creative direc- its new feature film division, which tor, a role in which he will oversee is currently developing live-action production of on-air promos. . . . films. He was previously senior San Francisco-based Curious Pic- vice president of production at tures has promoted Denis Filmcolony. . . . Fox Kids Net- Denis Morella, creative director of Curi- Morella to the newly-created posi- ous Pictures, San Francisco. Photo cour- work has hired Patricia LaVigne tesy of Curious Pictures. tion of creative director of the West as vice president of on-air promo- Coast office. He joined Curious in tions. She was previously with the originally going to be voiced by September, 1996 after serving as a ad agency Pittard Sullivan’s Euro- the late comedian Chris Farley. director at (Colossal) Pictures. Curi- pean office in Munich but will The film will also feature voices by ous also promoted Holly now be based in Los Angeles.. . . . Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Edwards from to senior producer. London-based multi-media and John Lithgow and Linda Hunt. She joined Curious in January, animation studio Pepper’s Ghost Shrek, slated for release in 2000, is 1997. . . . Composer Carter Bur- Productions has hired Alan Mar- currently in pre-production at PDI well will write the theme song for ques as head of digital produc- in Palo Alto, California. . . . Robert the animated series Dilbert which tion. He was previously at The Rehme has been re-elected presi- will premiere on UPN in January. . Magic Camera Company. . . . Los dent of the Academy Of Motion . . Tim Hill, creator of Nick- Angeles-based Sony Pictures Picture Arts And Sciences elodeon’s Action League Now! Imageworks (SPI) has hired ani- (A.M.P.A.S.) for a second consec- (part of the Kablam! series) will mation director Henry Anderson utive one-year term. He was also direct the live-action/puppet fea- to work on the feature film Stuart president for one term in 1992-93. ture film, Muppets in Space for the Little. Anderson was most recently The A.M.P.A.S. Board of Governors Jim Henson Company and Colum- at Blue Sky|VIFX in New York. SPI was also recently elected. bia Pictures. This will be a first-time has also hired George Joblove as William C. Littlejohn has been feature film directing job for Hill. . vice president of technology, a re-elected to the short films and . North Hollywood-based Film newly-created position. He was animation branch, which is also Roman has hired several new previously technology director at represented by Carl Bell and June recruits to work on the animated R/GA Digital in New York. . . . Foray, whose three-year terms are series, Family Guy. Roy Smith Everland Entertainment, distrib- staggered to renew in 1999 and (formerly of Saban) and Peter utors of the Veggie Tales animated 2000. . . . The board of directors of Shin (formerly of Klasky Csupo) home video series, has hired Rick The Writers Guild Of America will be co-animation producers, Forsythe as executive director. He (WGA) West voted last week to and John Bush (formerly of Hype- was previously with Rainfall Edu- terminate the contract of its execu- rion) will be line producer. . . . cational Toys, Chariot Media and tive director Brian Walton, who David Silverman has joined Family Christian Stores. . . . has held the position for 13 years. Pixar Animation Studio to direct DreamWorks has cast several This issue of Animation World animated features. After Silverman movie stars to play the voices of Magazine includes an article exited his post at DreamWorks characters in its animated feature about WGA’s Animation Writers Feature Animation several months Shrek. Mike Myers will play the Caucus. . . . . Blue Sky|VIFX’s presi- ago, there was widespread specu- title character, a monster who was dent Richard Hollander has lation about where he would be ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 68 headed next. Before joining Disney Feature Animation. In the Hill (Fox), has signed a four- DreamWorks, he was a key cre- the new role, Stainton will relocate year contract with Fox Television, ative on The Simpsons, and from Los Angeles to guide produc- in which he will develop live- worked with Matt Groening to tion in WDFA’s Paris studio, focus- action and animated series for the develop the show. Pixar has not ing mainly on the production of network. He will also retain his yet announced on which film Sil- the animated feature film, Tarzan. position as executive producer of verman will be working. . . . Chil- Stainton joined Disney in 1989 King of the Hill and will continue dren’s Television Workshop and was most recently vice presi- to voice its characters, Hank Hill (CTW) has named Alice and Boomhauer. Daily Variety Cahn group president, televi- (8/4/98) estimates the new sion, film and video, filling a deal is worth U.S. $16 million. position vacated in May by . . . . Actor Hank Azaria (Apu former vice president of pro- and Moe on The Simpsons duction Marjorie Kalins. Cahn and Bartok in Anastasia ) will is no stranger to CTW; she be the voice of Eric Feeble in was previously director of chil- the American dub of the ani- dren’s programming for PBS, mated TV series Stressed Eric which airs several TV series for NBC. Although the origi- produced by CTW. . . . The nal soundtrack is in English, Jim Henson Company hired NBC dubbed a new voice Susan Frank as executive track over the main charac- vice president of corporate Mike Judge, superstar. Photo courtesy of MTV. ter’s British accent to make the marketing worldwide. She dialogue more comprehensi- was previously executive vice pres- dent of creative affairs. . . . Elie ble to American viewers. A co-pro- ident of worldwide marketing and Dekel has been named executive duction of Absolutely Productions, promotions for the Fox Children’s vice president of Fox Family the BBC and Klasky Csupo, the Network, where she worked with Worldwide’s new consumer prod- show will premiere on NBC on Margaret Loesch, now president ucts division, which will oversee August 12 at 9:30 p.m. . . . Actor of Jim Henson Television. . . . the company’s home video, pro- Michael J. Fox has signed with Warner Bros. Online has hired motions and licensing & merchan- Columbia Pictures to play the Harry Medved as director of pub- dising activities. Dekel, who joined voice of the lead character—a lic relations. He previously held a Saban Entertainment (now part of computer animated mouse—in similar position at InterActive Fox family) in 1990, was promot- the live-action/computer anima- Agency. . . . The late Roy O. Disney ed from the position of executive tion feature film, Stuart Little. Addi- (d. 1971), brother and business vice president of marketing & tional characters will be voiced by partner of Walt Disney and father advertising for Fox Family World- actors Gene Wilder, Bruno of current Walt Disney Company wide. . . . Dream Quest Images, Kirby and Jennifer Tilly. The film, chairman Roy E. Disney, has been the feature film visual effects divi- being directed by Rob Minkoff, will honored with a star on the Holly- sion of the Walt Disney Company, feature visual effects by Sony Pic- wood Walk of Fame. The memori- has hired V. Scott Jones as vice tures Imageworks and will be al was dedicated on July 27 in president finance/chief financial released in late 1999.The film, front of the Disney-owned El Cap- officer. Most recently, he was a being directed by Rob Minkoff, will itan Theater on Hollywood Boule- freelance financial consultant, sub- feature visual effects by Sony Pic- vard. Down the street, Walt Dis- sequent to serving as CFO and tures Imageworks and will be ney’s star was one of the original corporate treasurer at American released in late 1999... 1500 installed in the Walk of Fame Cybercast Corporation. He has Manhattan Transfer has hired CG in the 1960s. . . . .So long, Los also held finance management artist Grant Adam to work in its Angeles, Bonjour Paris! David positions at ABC and The Walt Dis- visual effects department. He pre- Stainton has been promoted to ney Company. . . . Mike Judge, viously ran his own company, the position of senior vice presi- creator of Beavis & Butt-head Uncommon Characters, in Victo- dent of creative affairs for Walt (MTV) and co-creator of King of ria, Australia. . . . Animator/illustra- ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 69 ever, some of these upcoming of England. The Hollywood events will still take place as sched- Reporter [7/28-8/3/98] said “the uled, but with Cohen’s colleagues show reportedly depicts Diana’s filling in for screenings of films battles with eating disorders and highlighted in Cohen’s book, For- puts blame on Prince Charles for bidden Animation. Get-well wish- her misery with royal life, though es for Karl may be sent to AWN, no mention is made of the Paris where they will be forwarded car crash that ended her life last directly to him at a hospital in San year. Instead, the story ends with Francisco. Please send clearly Diana skipping with children in marked cards and letters by mail heaven.” Should they change the to: name of this project to “The Karl Cohen Unhappy Princess?” A Scottish c/o AWN Television spokesperson confirmed 6525 Sunset Blvd. Garden Suite that the series is in development, 10 and that it has been pitched to Hollywood, CA 90028 U.S.A. several broadcasters and co-pro- No e-mail messages, please. duction partners (including DIC

Grant Adam, a CG artist at Manhattan Films Entertainment), but stressed that Transfer. Photo courtesy of Manhattan “it’s too early to tell” what the fate Transfer. Antz To Premiere In Toronto. of the project will be. tor Rob Zammarchi, artist Matt The Toronto International Film Fes- Duchame and graphic designer tival will host the world premiere South Park Feature In Produc- Karen Kutka have joined the staff of DreamWorks SKG and PDI’s tion. Comedy Central has green lit of Boston-based Fablevision Stu- computer-animated feature film production of an animated feature dios. . . . New York-based Brian Antz at their closing night gala on film based on the TV series South Diecks Design has hired designer September 19. The film will offi- Park, created by Trey Parker and Amanda Hayes and assistant pro- cially open in theaters (U.S. and Matt Stone. The target release for ducer Marcia Finn. . . . Atlanta- Canada) on October 2. Antz will the still untitled film is March 1999, based Crawford Communica- also be screened at tions has acquired the company the Ottawa Interna- Taylor McCormick Graphics, and tional Animation hired its founding owners Robert Festival on opening Taylor and Michael McCormick night, September as director of computer graphics 29. and CG animation director, respec- tively, for Crawford’s 3-D animation The Happy Princess and digital effects division. . . . Toon In Develop- ment. Scottish Tele- Karl Cohen Recovering. Karl vision and Siriol Pro- Cohen, president of ASIFA-San ductions are devel- Francisco, animation historian and oping a 30-minute author of Forbidden Animation: animated cartoon Censored Cartoons and Blacklisted for children about Animators is recovering from a the life of the late stroke suffered late last month. He Diana, Princess of Antz. © DreamWorks LLC. has canceled his engagements to Wales. Word of the speak at the Society for Animation animated project—based on the to coincide with “Spring Break.” Studies Conference, the NuArt Cin- book The Happy Princess by The film will be produced in ema in Los Angeles and the Nicholas Allen—is upsetting some Venice, California by a separate Ottawa Animation Festival. How- U.K. groups, including the Church production team than the TV ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 70 nied by Laloux and Topor’s ani- developed by Bill Oakley and Josh mated short, Les Escargots, Weinstein for Castle Rock Televi- (1965). The films’ relaunch will sion. It is slated to air as a prime premiere at Los Angeles’ NuArt time show in fall 1999. The show Theater, October 9-15, then on is described by WB as “the first to New York and other cities in prime time animated comedy to November. Since its original focus on the lives of twentysome- release, Fantastic Planet has only things and teens.” It will star four been released on laserdisc and roomates living in a downtown on unauthorized bootleg video loft in a fictional big city, and their tapes, which used badly duped assortment of colorful friends and prints that were edited to omit neighbors. This is the first animat- Rene Laloux’s classic Fantastic Planet will be key sequences. Thus, this theatri- ed series to be developed by Cas- re-released theatrically this year. Photo cour- cal return of Fantastic Planet tle Rock’s Television unit, whose tesy of CQN Releasing. showcases the film in its com- live-action credits include Seinfeld. series. Like the series, the film will plete form, as it was envisioned The WB Network will also try out a be produced on SGI computers by Laloux, who currently resides in pilot based on the syndicated using Alias PowerAnimator and France. After the theatrical run, comic strip Baby Blues during the Maya software. Cinequanon plans to release an ‘98 holiday season. official, higher-quality video in Fantastic Planet In Rotation. Rene 1999. TV Tidbits. Curious Pictures is Laloux’s animated feature film, working on a 25-part animated Fantastic Planet (1973) is being Rene Laloux’s book, Drawings That series called A Little Curious for theatrically re-released in the U.S. Move—One Hundred Years of HBO. It will feature mixed-media, by Cinequanon Pictures in honor Animated Films was reviewed by CG, cel and stop-motion anima- of its 25th anniversary. The bizarre, Giannalberto Bendazzi in the April tion, and is slated to debut in Jan- Bosch-esque science-fiction film is 1996 issue of Animation World uary 1999. . . . Twentieth TV, described as a “jolting futuristic Magazine: [ Twentieth Century Fox’s syndica- story of a rebellion by oppressed http://www.awn.com/mag/issue tion arm, has had tremendous humanoids against a race of 1.1/articles/laloux.html]. success pre-selling the animated gigantic androids on a distant Television series King of the Hill for U.S. syn- planet.” Not the typical animated dication starting in fall 2001. The feature fare to which American The WB Is Set To Go Down- show’s planned 100 episodes will audiences are accustomed! The town. The WB Network has air as reruns on stations covering film was co-produced in France ordered 13 episodes of The over 90% of U.S. households. So, and Czechoslovakia and Downtowners, an animated series while Fox may be taking a ratings co-written and designed risk by separating King by Rene Laloux and of the Hill from The graphic artist Roland Simpsons (it is moving Topor. It was the first ani- to Tuesday nights this mated feature to win an fall), they have secured award at Cannes (Special an audience for the Jury Prize), and has reruns of the show inspired many other film- three years from now!. . makers. A new 35mm . . FUNimation’s Japan- print of the film has been ese animated series created from the original Dragon Ball Z has been English dubbed version sold in syndication to first released in the U.S. Cartoon Network, which will air the show in 1974 by Roger Cor- The Downtowners. © 1998 The WB Network. man. It will be accompa- five days a week start- ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 71 ing in September. In a separate Research, AWN will now publish deal, Irwin Toy has just signed on the Nielsen ratings for animated as the master toy licensee for programs on a monthly basis in Dragon Ball Z. The company plans the Animation Flash. The ratings to produce a full line of action fig- included herein are only for U.S. ures, vehicles and playsets. Drag- national network television. How- on Ball Z started in Japan over ten ever, AWN is interested in publish- years ago and has been airing ing additional ratings from cable internationally in Europe, but was television and ratings systems out- only first introduced to American side the U.S. To contribute infor- viewers in 1995. . . . mation, please contact us at edi- [email protected]. July Nielsen Ratings.By special The following list of animated The Simpsons: ratings rulers for July. © arrangement with Nielsen Media Fox. national network programs is Rating/Program (Network, Day, Time) Rating/Program (Network, Day, Time) 5.1 The Simpsons (Fox, Sunday, 8:00 p.m.) 1.5 Men in Black (WB, Saturday, 9:00 a.m.) 4.9 King of the Hill (Fox, Sunday, 8:30 p.m.) 1.5 New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Special 2.1 Invasion America (WB, Tuesday, 9:00 p.m.) (ABC, Saturday, 10:30 a.m.) 1.9 Disney’s Saturday Morning Special (ABC, Satur 1.5 Spider-Man Special (Fox, Saturday, 9:00 a.m.) day, 7/04, 9:30 a.m.) 1.5 Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries (WB, Saturday, 1.9 Disney’s Saturday Morning (ABC, Saturday, 11:30 a.m.) 7/11, 10:00 a.m.) 1.5 Toonsylvania Special (Fox, Saturday, 9:30 a.m.) 1.8 Disney’s Saturday Morning (ABC, Saturday, 1.4 Pinky and the Brain (WB, Saturday, 10:30 a.m.) 7/11, 9:30 a.m.) 1.4 Sam and Max (Fox, Saturday, 11:30 a.m.) 1.8 Disney’s Saturday Morning Special (ABC, Satur 1.3 Animaniacs July 4 Special (WB, Saturday, 9:00 day, 7/18, 9:30 a.m.) a.m.) 1.8 New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Special 1.3 Disney’s Saturday Morning Special (ABC, Satur (ABC, Saturday, 12:00 p.m.) day, 7/04, 8:30 a.m.) 1.7 Animaniacs July 4 Special (WB, Saturday, 11:00 1.3 Science Court Special (ABC, Saturday, 11:00 a.m.) a.m.) 1.7 Batman/Superman (WB, Saturday, 10:00 a.m.) 1.2 Batman/Superman (WB, Monday-Friday, 4:30 1.7 Spider-Man (Fox, Saturday, 9:00 a.m.) p.m.) 1.7 Toonsylvania Special (Fox, Saturday, 10:30 1.2 Disney’s 101 Dalmatians Special (ABC, Satur a.m.) day, 1:00 p.m.) 1.6 Disney’s Saturday Morning Special (ABC, Satur 1.2 Disney’s Saturday Morning (ABC, Saturday, day, 7/04, 9:00 a.m.) 8:30 a.m.) 1.6 Disney’s Saturday Morning Special (ABC, Satur 1.2 Science Court (ABC, Saturday, 12:30 p.m.) day, 7/18, 9:00 a.m.) 1.1 Disney’s Saturday Morning Special (ABC, Satur 1.6 New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Special day, 7/18, 8:30 a.m.) (ABC, Saturday, 11:00 a.m.) 1.1 Disney’s Jungle Cubs Special (ABC, Saturday, 1.6 Spider-Man (Fox, Monday-Friday, 3:30 p.m.) 2:30 p.m.) 1.6 Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries (WB, Saturday, 1.1 Life With Louie (Fox, Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.) 11:30 a.m.) 1.1 Science Court Special (ABC, Saturday, 12:35 1.6 Toonsylvania (Fox, Saturday, 10:30 a.m.) p.m.) 1.6 Toonsylvania (Fox, Saturday, 9:30 a.m.) 1.0 Bobby’s World (Fox, Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m.) 1.5 Animaniacs (WB, Saturday, 11:00 a.m.) 1.0 Disney’s Saturday Morning Special (ABC, Satur 1.5 Animaniacs July 4 Special (WB, Saturday, day, 7/04, 8:00 a.m.) 10:00 a.m.) 1.0 Incredible Hulk (UPN, Sunday, 9:30 a.m.) 1.5 Batman/Superman (WB, Saturday, 9:30 a.m.) 1.0 Ned’s Newt (Fox, Saturday, 8:00 a.m.) 1.5 Disney’s Saturday Morning (ABC, Saturday, 1.0 Superman (WB, Sunday, 8:30 a.m.) 7/11, 9:00 a.m.) 0.9 Disney’s Saturday Morning Special (ABC, Satur 1.5 Disney’s Jungle Cubs (ABC, Saturday, 11:30 day, 7/18, 8:00 a.m.) a.m.) 0.9 Ned’s Newt Special (Fox, Saturday, 8:00 a.m.) 1.5 Disney’s Jungle Cubs Special (ABC, Saturday, 0.9 Pinky and the Brain (WB, Mon.-Fri., 4:00 p.m.) 10:30 a.m.) Note: Programming with Disney’s Saturday Morning block changes weekly, which explains the multiple listings of this pro- gram (dates are included for clarification). ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 72 tures and New Zealand-based Flea Circus Films director John Robertson co-produced six sec- onds of character animation for a spot for office-supply manufactur- er Manco, Inc. It depicts the com- pany’s character, Manco T. Duck interacting with a live-action scene. . . . New York-based Pixel Liberation Front created 3-D computer animation for the open- ing sequence of an advertisement for a new Acclaim Entertainment video game called Forsaken.. . . . San Francisco-based Radium cre- ated 3-D animation and visual effects for a spot introducing an Raimund Krumme’s Kick in the Shins spot for Bank Atlantic. Image courtesy of Acme Filmworks. energy food bar called Boost. . . . New York-based studio Quiet ranked by Household Ratings. A don-based aka Pizazz created Rating is the percent of house- three 30-second animated spots Man created visual effects for a 30- second Duracell ad entitled holds that tuned into the pro- for travel agency Lunn Poly/Thom- Anthem. The effects were generat- gram. This percentage can pro- son. They were animated by Mic ed with a Flame system by effects vide us with the number of house- Graves, Robin Shaw and Joris van artist Johnnie Semerad under spot holds that tuned into the program Hulzen, using the Animo system, director Joe Pytka. . . . Boston- on average during the month. and will air in the U.K. . . . San based Fablevision Studios creat- The universe estimate for the Francisco-based Curious Pic- ed thirteen animated 1997-98 television season in 98 bumpers for Zoom, the million TV homes. Each rating new (remake) live-action point represents one percent of kid’s series being pro- that universe, or 980,000 TV duced by WGBH. . . . homes. Translation: The Simp- sons, with an average 5.1 rating Boston-based View- for the month of July, was point Studios and Seat- viewed in an almost 5 million tle-based Heck Yes! col- laborated on visual (5.1 x 980,000) households. The effects and 3-D anima- below ranking is an average for tion for a Discovery the month of July 1998. Channel network pro- Commercials motion for “Shark Week.” In the sequence, Spotlight. Hollywood-based a shark’s fin is seen swim- Acme Filmworks produced ming out of the ocean, four 15-second commercials for onto the shore, through BankAtlantic, directed by town, into a viewer’s liv- Raimund Krumme (Passage). ing room and right The spots use Krumme’s signa- through the television ture black & white line art to set. Animator Perry depict a bank customer literally Harovas used Alias| battling with obstacles faced Pocahontas in her natural state, above, and below, Wavefront’s Maya to cre- when dealing with the corpo- Pocahontas “transformed into a proper English lady” in ate the shark’s fin. . . . rate banking machine. . . . Lon- Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World. © Walt Disney Enterprises.All Rights Reserved. Video ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 73 acters will be featured in Classic owners of the cartoon characters Pocahontas II In A Store Near Harvey Toons, an animated series Casper the Friendly Ghost, Richie You. On August 25, Walt Disney comprised of Harvey’s library car- Rich, Baby Huey, Little Audrey, Home Video released Pocahontas toons, on the new Fox Family Lotta, Hot Stuff and Wendy the II: Journey to a New World, the channel launching this month. Good Little Witch, have direct-to-video sequel to Disney’s Publications announced plans to launch a new 33rd theatrical animated feature children’s publication in Novem- film, Pocahontas. The film was Hot Of The Presses. Several new ber. The monthly, glossy print produced at Walt Disney Anima- animation-related books have magazine will be called Harvey, tion Canada and Walt Disney Ani- recently become available. Rutgers the Magazine for Kids and will cost mation Japan, and directed by University Press has published U.S. $2.95 per issue. Harvey Enter- Bradley Raymond and Tom Ellery. Reading the Rabbit: Explorations tainment has hired Matty Simmons Additional animation was done by in Warner Bros. Animation, a com- (of National Lampoon and Weight Spaff Animation in Burbank, Cali- pendium of essays by Linda Simen- Watchers magazines) as publisher fornia. The voice cast features Jean sky, Gene Walz, Michael Frierson, and Julie Lynch, former editor of Stapleton, Billy Zane, David Donald Crafton and others, edited Heavy Metal magazine as editor. Ogden Stiers and Linda Hunt. Poc- by Kevin S. Sandler. W.W. Norton & Music ahontas II: Journey to a New Company has published a revised World runs 72 minutes, and is edition of Michael O’Rourke’s Prin- Rhino Playing Space Ghost & being offered for U.S. $26.99 ciples of Three-Dimensional Com- Scooby. Rhino Records, whose (SRP). puter Animation. Additional books catalog already contains more which are scheduled to be than 40 animation-related albums, Black Cauldron Bubbles Up. released in the near future are a will release two new music collec- Walt Disney Home Video released how-to animation book by Aard- tions of interest to animation fans. Disney’s 25th animated feature, man Animations, Maureen Furniss’ In August, Rhino debuted Space The Black Cauldron (1985) on Art in Motion: Animation Aesthet- Ghost Surf and Turf, a sequel to video for the first time on August ics (John Libbey & Company), Paul the Musical BBQ album featuring 4. The 80-minute film was co- Wells’ Understanding Animation songs by the Cartoon Network directed by Ted Berman and (Routledge) and Gene Walz’s Car- animated talk show stars. In Sep- Richard Rich, during a period of toon Charlie: The Life and Art of tember, Rhino will deliver Scooby minimal success for Disney’s ani- Animation Pioneer Charles Thor- Doo’s Snack Tracks: The Ultimate mated features. It is the second son (Great Plains Publishing). Collection featuring many never- Disney feature to be filmed in [Gene Walz’s article about Charles before-released songs from the 70mm format, after Sleeping Thorson can be found in the Sep- Hanna-Barbera series. However, Beauty. The video is priced at tember 1997 issue of Animation Rhino’s second “Simpsons” album, $26.99 (SRP). World Magazine: Go Simpsonic With the Simpsons, http://www.awn.com/mag/issue originally slated for a September 1 Harvey To Turn Out 12 Pics In 3 2.6/2.6pages/2.6walzthorson.ht release, has been indefinitely post- Years. Harvey Entertainment has ml] poned for unspecified reasons. launched a new business plan Many of these books will be which intends to produce 12 reviewed in Animation World Go behind the scenes of Space direct-to-video products over the Magazine. Stay tuned to the Ani- Ghost Coast to Coast in Heather next three years, commencing in mation Flash for information. Sup- Kenyon’s July 1998 cover story 1999. The company has two ani- port AWN! Buy books in the Ani- [http://www.awn.com/mag/issue mated videos coming out before mation World Store, in association 3.4/3.4pages/3.4kenyon.html]. then; Casper Meets Wendy and with Amazon Internet & Interactive Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish will [http://www.awn.com/awnstore/ debut this fall. Additional Harvey books]. Quick Bytes. HotWired is starting characters which can be exploited a web site devoted to showcasing include Baby Huey, Little Audrey Harvey Starts Publishing. The professional and independent and Hot Stuff. Many of these char- Harvey Entertainment Company, web animation that can stand ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 74 alone as entertainment. Creators “employment.” On the flip side, will be paid an honorarium for Golfis has also obtained money selected works. E-mail submissions from investors interested in anima- should be sent to animations-sub- tion projects which were devel- missions @hotwired.com. . . . Car- oped by these prospective toon Network has launched its employees. These crimes are web site at www.cartoonnet- being investigated by the FBI, the work.com. It features a series of FCC and the IRS, as well as several original web animation shorts local police departments. “Howev- called “Web Premiere Toons,” an er,” said David Scheid, “the investi- encyclopedia of cartoon informa- gators are not doing enough.” tion called “Department of Car- Scheid, a recent graduate of Tech- toons,” and a publication called The Hackit and Hairball Show. nology Development Center (TDC) Saturday Morning Magazine, as © 1998 Zoom Cartoons LLC and in Ventura, California gave Golfis Clickable Magic Inc. well as character home pages and $5,000 for a computer which he games. The site was developed by never received, acting on a five- Cartoon Network Online (headed Animation World Magazine pub- page employment agreement he by creative director Sam Register) lished an extensive tribute to Phyl- had with Reel Images. Golfis was in conjunction with New York- lis Craig in the July 1998 issue recently working out of an office based design company, Funny [http://www.awn.com/mag/issue in Encino, California but is now Garbage. . . . Clickable Magic has 2.4 /awm2.4pages/2.4tribute- believed to be out of the state. launched a new web cartoon craig. html]. One of TDC’s computer animation called The Hackit and Hairball instructors, Steve Nelle, said, “It’s a Show at: Beware! Employment Scam. A shame that someone would take www.clickablemagic.com/ man going by the name of John advantage of young upstarts, who hnh.html. The animated “talk Constantine Golfis is being investi- are so eager to work in the indus- show” stars a cat named Hackit gated for a scam try.” Anyone who has and a sidekick named Hairball. . . . which has tricked near- information about Education ly half a million dollars Golfis should write to out of more than 50 P.O. Box 965, Simi Val- Craig Scholarship Gets Match- unsuspecting people ley, CA, 93062, U.S.A. ing Donor. An anonymous donor and private corpora- has agreed to sponsor a “match- tions. Through his R&H Scholarship ing challenge” to Women In Ani- company Reel Images, Awarded. Los Angeles- mation’s Phyllis Craig Scholarship LLC, Golfis has been based effects studio, Fund, established in remembrance contacting job-seeking Rhythm & Hues has of the late animation color artist professionals in the announced the winners Phyllis Craig. The target date for a computer graphics of its third annual Com- candidate to receive the first schol- and animation indus- puter Graphics Scholar- arship is the year 2000. Any dona- try, and offering them ship. The scholarship is tion made to the fund within the an opportunity to work intended to encourage next month will be automatically for him out of their and reward excellence doubled. Donations are tax homes—on the condi- among young artists in deductible. Send your check to: tion that they buy a the area of computer Women In Animation Inc. Phyllis computer from him. graphics. Normally Craig Scholarship Fund Prospective employees Rhythm & Hues grants P.O. Box 17706, Encino, CA have invested with the three digital cinematog- A caricature of Phyllis 91416 U.S.A. promise that Golfis will Craig by Mitch Schauer, raphy, one modeling Please mark the check clearly with pay for half of the com- used in an actual and one character ani- the note “Matching Funds Chal- puter, and upgrade it, episode of Film Roman’s mation award which Garfield and Friends. lenge.” for the duration of their are divided between ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 75 the student and his edu- Film/Video Festival will take cational institution. This place November 18-22, year Rhythm & Hues 1998 in New York City. awarded grants to David Organizers are looking for E. Smith and the Califor- hand-crafted animated films nia Institute of the Arts in or videos involving “sexuali- the fields of both com- ties which transgress the puter character anima- heterosexual norm, either tion and digital cine- via the sensibility of the matography. This marks maker or the subject matter the first time that there or both.” For information has been a double and applications, contact award winner. Erik Win- Shawn Atkins at quist and the Ringling [email protected] or School of Art and Design (212) 921-0081. Or, send received the only grants VHS preview tapes directly in the digital cinematog- to: MIX Festival, 11 John raphy category. There Street, Suite 408, New York, was no winner in the NY 10038 U.S.A. Attention: computer modeling cate- Shawn Atkins/Animation gory this year. The schol- Program. arship is open to all stu- dents enrolled full-time in SPIFF’S Second Run. The an accredited undergraduate or MOMI Animators Scheme second Short Pictures International graduate degree program within Deadline. The deadline to submit Film Festival (SPIFF) will take place six months of the entry deadline. applications for the annual Chan- November 19-21 in Hollywood, The deadline for the 1999 scholar- nel 4/Museum of the Moving California. The festival was origi- ship is June 1, 1999. For informa- Image Animators Scheme was nally created by Joy A. Kennelly to tion on how to apply, visit August 22. Open to U.K.-resident highlight short films, animation, www.rhythm.com. recent graduates of animation pro- music videos, and documentaries grams, the scheme awards several created by Sony Pictures Image- Animation Program Opens In animators with a three-month resi- works (SPI) employees. The pro- Ottawa. Ottawa, Canada, home dency in the museum studio and a gram has been expanded to fea- to the longest-running animation budget to work on an animated ture works under 15 minutes in festival in North America, will now film. For information, call: length by all filmmakers. The entry also be home to a new animation (44) 0171 815-1376. deadline is October 1, and the fee training facility. The Ottawa School is $55. All proceeds from SPIFF will of Art is launching a new Anima- Animation World Magazine’s Octo- go to children’s charities. For infor- tion Certificate program, designed ber 1997 issue features an in- mation and entry forms, visit for students who want to create a depth article about London’s www.spiffest.com. portfolio appropriate for applica- Museum of the Moving Image, tion to training programs such as including detailed information Leipzig. The 41st International Algonquin, Capilano or Sheridan about the Animators Scheme Leipzig Festival for Documentary colleges. Enrollment will be limited [http://www.awn.com/mag/issue and Animated Films is scheduled to 20 students who will be select- 2.7/2.7pages/2.7burrowsmomi.h to take place October 27-Novem- ed through a screening process. tml]. ber 1, 1998 in Leipzig, Germany. The application deadline for this Call for Entries Several prizes are awarded for ani- year’s program is August 28. For mation, including cash prizes (last information visit: “Queer” Animation Wanted. year’s winners were Mikhail http://eaosa.ottawa.com. The 12th annual New York Les- Aldashin, Daniel Greaves, bian and Gay Experimental Walentin Olschwang, Alexander ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 76 Petrov and Craig Welch). Entries is distributed by e-mail. Subscribe Animation World Magazine will should be sent on VHS video cas- now! Are there animation events review the 1998 SAS Conference sette by September 5 to Dokfesti- going on in your area? Share your in an upcoming issue. val Leipzig, Elsterstr. 22-24, 04109 regional event news with the http://www.awn.com/mag Leipzig, Germany. For informa- international readers of the Anima- tion, visit www.mdr.de/dokfestival tion Flash! Please send announce- * Wednesday, August 5 - Monday, or e-mail [email protected] ments to [email protected], at least August 10. Hollywood, California, eight days in advance. U.S.A. Ideas in Animation, a monthly, The second annual Hollywood San Francisco-based performance * July 31-August 9, 1998. Rio de Film Festival included three ani- series that pairs animated films Janeiro, Brazil. mated films in competition: Return with live music by the Sprocket The annual animation festival, of the Sun Devil by Steven Ayrom- Ensemble, is seeking submissions. Anima Mundi took place. Pro- looi, Boing by Jeff Daly and Max New, completed films and works- grams included retrospectives of and His Special Problem by Dave in-progress, both non-commercial work by Marv Newland, Erica Rus- Wasson. Screenings took place on and commercial, from 2 to 20 min- sell, Georges Lacroix/Fantôme, the Paramount Studios lot. Tickets utes in length will be considered. layout artist Ray Aragon and Trat- were $8.00. For information visit Honoraria will be paid for all toria Di Frame, an animation stu- http://hollywoodawards.com/ind works shown. For information, dio from Sao Paulo. The festival exmain.html or call (310) 288- contact Nik or Nancy Phelps at also featured animation work- 1882 (415) 681-3189 or send films shops using the Video Lunchbox directly to Ideas in Animation, system. For information visit * Tuesday, August 11. Los Ange- 2066 30th Ave. San Francisco, CA www.animamundi.com.br/ les, California, U.S.A. 94116-1148. At 7:30 p.m., UCLA Film and Tele- Anima Mundi is reviewed in this vision Archive’s Ninth Festival of Second Shorts Film Fest. The issue of Animation World Maga- Preservation featured a program Shorts International Film Festival is zine. of films from the Animation Preser- now accepting entries for its sec- vation Project, in association with ond edition, to be held November * Thursday, August 6 - Sunday, ASIFA-Hollywood. The program 9-11, 1998 at Sony Theatres Lin- August 16. Orange, California, featured 18 films by the likes of coln Square in New York City. The U.S.A. Max and Dave Fleischer, Walter annual festival will feature six com- Chapman University hosted the Lantz, Ub Iwerks, Tex Avery, petition categories: Animation, tenth annual Society for Animation George Pal, Hugh Harman, Rudy Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Studies conference. Events includ- Ising, Dick Heumer, Tony Sarg, Experimental and Student. Last ed tours of USC and Warner Bros. Shamus Culhane, Art Davis, year’s animation winner was archives, a screening of films high- Michael Lah and Sid Marcus, that Michael Sporn’s Champagne. The lighted in Karl Cohen’s book, For- have recently been restored by the entry deadline is September 15. bidden Animation and children’s archive. The show also included Films must be under 40 minutes. animation workshops at the rare footage of the 1947 Screen For information and entry forms, Orange County Museum of Art. Cartoonists Guild strike at Terry- visit www.shorts.org or call (212) On the 13th-15th, there were pre- toons Studio. The screening took 228-4085. sentations of papers by scholars place in the James Bridges Theater Events such as Ton Crone, Michael Frier- on the UCLA campus. Admission son, Tom Klein, Mark Langer, John was $6.00 for adults, $4.00 for Last Month In Animation A. Lent, Richard J. Leskosky, Gene seniors and students. For a com- The following is a list of events Walz and others. plete list of films, visit www.cine- which took place since the last ma.ucla.edu/festival/default.html. issue of Animation World Maga- For information, visit the SAS web zine was published. These listings site in Animation World Network Animation World Magazine’s April are published weekly in the Ani- [http://www.awn.com 1998 issue includes an in-depth mation Flash, a newsletter which /sas] article about the UCLA Film and ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 77 Television Archive: WGA Animation Writers Caucus’ were $5 for the general public, $3 [http://www.awn.com/mag/issue “Summer Blockbuster to Saturday for Academy members. The doors 3.1/3.1pages/3.1ucla.html]. In Morning” on Saturday at 11:00 at 8949 Wilshire Blvd. opened at addition, the November 1997 a.m. Concurrently, the Comic Arts 6:30 p.m. For information call issue features an article about Conference, an academic event (310) 247-3600. ASIFA-Hollywood : focused on comic studies, took http://www.awn.com/mag/issue place in the convention center. * Friday, August 14 - Saturday, 2.8/2.8pages/2.8crane_asifa.html Presentation topics included August 15, Los Angeles, California, “Comics as Therapy” and “War U.S.A. * Tuesday, August 11. Los Ange- Comics as Literature and Propa- At the Directors Guild of America les, California, U.S.A. ganda.” For information on all that headquarters on Sunset Blvd. in Women In Animation Los Angeles is Comic-Con, visit www.comic- Hollywood, the U.S. tour of the hosted a mixer at Lumpy Gravy, con.com or call (619) 544-9555. ResFest launched with a screening the restaurant/gallery co-owned of digital films. The program by Gabor Csupo of Klasky Csupo. * Friday, August 14 - Wednesday, included such digitally-animated The event launched a series of August 19. Beijing, China. delights as The Smell of Horror by fundraising animation mixers that AnimWorld ‘98, the first Interna- Mitch Butler and Roadhead by will take place on the second tional Animation Art, Technology Tommy Pallotta. Tickets were Tuesday of every month. The & Production Fair took place at the $8.00 each. For details, including event will always feature the origi- Beijing Exhibition Center. Focused dates of future shows in San Fran- nal “napkin cartoon” drink special: around the theme “For Tomor- cisco and New York, visit www.res- draw a cartoon on a napkin, get a row,” the event featured exhibiting fest.com discount! Lumpy Gravy is located companies, screenings and work- at 7311 Beverly Blvd. For informa- shops. For information, contact * Saturday, August 15. Los Ange- tion call (323) 934-9400. the China Great Wall Exhibition les, California, U.S.A. Company by phone (86) 10 Women In Animation’s Computer * Tuesday, August 11 - Wednes- 68748902 or fax (86) 10 Animation Group meets on the day, August 12. San Diego, Cali- 68748900. third Saturday of every month at fornia, U.S.A. Rhythm & Hues Studios, 5404 The Pro/Con convention, an event This event will be reviewed by Paul Jandy Place in the Marina del Rey for comics industry professionals, Marcot in an upcoming issue of area. This is a pot-luck lunch took place at the Hyatt Hotel, and Animation World Magazine. (12:00 noon) with great network- the Comic Book Expo, a trade Meanwhile, for a view of anima- ing opportunities. Admission is show open only to industry pro- tion in China, read Milt Vallas’ arti- free to WIA L.A. members and fessionals, took place at the San cle, “China: The Awakening Giant” new joining members, $10 for Diego Convention Center, preced- in the August 1998 issue : non-members. Call (310) 448- ing the public event, Comic-Con [http://www.awn.com/mag/issue 7500. (see below). For information visit 3.5/3.5pages/3.5vallas.html]. www.comic-con.org. * Sunday, August 16. Berkeley, * Friday, August 14. Beverly Hills, California, U.S.A. * Thursday, August 13 - Sunday, California, U.S.A. Pacific Film Archives hosted the August 16. San Diego, California, The Academy of Motion Picture premiere public screening of Wild U.S.A. Arts & Sciences hosted “Battle of Brain’s first original short film, A The 29th International Comic-Con the Apes,” a double-feature Dog Cartoon, directed by Dave took place at the San Diego Con- screening of the first film version of Thomas. It was accompanied by vention Center. This massive event King Kong (1933), with stop- Timothy Hittle’s Academy-Award was, as always, open to the public motion animation by Willis nominated animated short Can- and featured hundreds of exhibit- O’Brien, and the original Mighty head and the live-action docu- ing companies and comic book Joe Young (1949), with stop- mentary The Mole People, a sellers, screenings, workshops and motion effects by Willis O’Brien behind-the-scenes documentary panel discussions such as the and Ray Harryhausen. Tickets of the San Francisco animation ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 78 world by Bay Area filmmakers Matt August 30. Edinburgh, Scotland, with Blue Sky|VIFX CEO David Boersma and Shari Rubin. All film- U.K. Brown and producer Michael makers were present. The show The Edinburgh International Film Feder. Any professional industry began at 3:00 p.m. at the Berkeley Festival showcased features, organization wishing to schedule Art Museum Pacific Film Archive, shorts, animation and documen- a similar tour of the location 2625 Durant Avenue in Berkeley. taries. For information contact should contact brooks@blueskys- For information call (510) 642- [email protected]. tudios.com 3035. * Wednesday, Aug 19. Beverly * Thursday, August 20. Sherman * Tuesday, August 18. Venice, Cal- Hills, California, U.S.A. Oaks, California, U.S.A. ifornia, U.S.A. The Hollywood Radio and TV Soci- Women In Animation’s Writers Women In Animation Los Angeles ety (HRTS) hosted the fourth annu- Group met at Warner Bros. TV Ani- sponsored a motion-capture al Newsmaker Luncheon at the mation, 15303 Ventura Blvd. The demonstration and tour of the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. month’s topics were “New Devel- House of Moves studio in Venice. Heads of children’s programming opment/Properties, Marketing & The event started at 7:00 p.m. and were present from networks Merchandising and Standard/Prac- was free. For information call including ABC, Cartoon Network, tices,” with speakers including (310) 399-2485. CBS, the Disney Channel, Fox Kids, Christopher Keenan of Warner NBC, Nickelodeon, PBS, Show- Bros. Admission was $10 for WIA * Tuesday, August 18 - Sunday, time, UPN and the WB, to show- L.A. members, $20 for non-mem- August 23. Burbank, California, case their fall line-ups. This event bers, RSVP required. Call (818) U.S.A. was sold out, however for infor- 623-0020. ASIFA-Hollywood and Media City mation about future HRTS events, Center presented Anifest ‘98, a visit www.hrts-iba.org * Thursday, August 20 - Monday, week-long, FREE animation festi- August 24. Hiroshima, Japan. val. Scheduled events included * Wednesday, Aug 19. Universal The 7th biennial Hiroshima Inter- evening presentations by produc- City, California, U.S.A. national Animation Festival is one er Fred Seibert with Oh Yeah! Car- The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) of the leading animation festivals. toons!, animator John Kricfalusi hosted a special meeting for its AWN publisher Ron Diamond was with “Toons Too Hot for TV” includ- members who are television ani- present, and writer Gigi Hu will be ing The Goddam George Liquor mation performers to review a ten- reviewing the event for our Octo- Show, director Genndy Tar- tative agreement with animation ber issue. For information visit takovsky with Dexter’s Laboratory, producers such as Disney, Warner www.urban.ne.jp/home/hiroan- and stop-motion animator Corky Bros. and DreamWorks, covering im/ Quakenbush who gave away voice-over performers working in props from his outrageous MAD television animation. The meeting, * Friday, August 21. Beverly Hills, TV shorts in a “Space Bass Garage open only to SAG members, took California, U.S.A. Sale Giveaway.” Daytime events place at 6:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Galerie Morpheus, located at included presentations by voice Universal Hotel. 9250 Wilshire Blvd., hosted the actors Nancy Cartwright (Bart opening reception for an exhibi- Simpson) and Lucille Bliss, com- * Wednesday, Aug 19. Harrison, tion of art work by Christophe poser Ron Jones, animation guru New York, U.S.A. Vacher, a background artist at Walt Tom Sito, Disney animators on The Association of Independent Disney Feature Animation. The Mulan, as well as many other Video Filmmakers toured the facili- exhibit will be on display through artists from Disney, Warner Bros., ty of Blue Sky|VIFX as part of their mid-September. Call (310) 859- DreamWorks and Film Roman. For August meeting. The tour of the 2557. a complete schedule of events, computer animation company contact ASIFA-Hollywood at (818) was open only to the AIVF mem- * Saturday, August 22 - Sunday, 842-8330 or [email protected]. bership, and included a presenta- August 23. Las Vegas, Nevada, tion about the company, a walk U.S.A. * Sunday, August 16 - Sunday, through the facility and a mixer The Classic Video Game Show and ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 79 Computer Exhibition took place at the Holiday Inn Boardwalk Hotel & Casino. Participants cel- ebrated the joys of Atari and other “vintage” gaming systems. For information visit www.atari- hq.com/atari98.

* Saturday, August 22 - Sunday, August 23. Toronto, Canada. Anime North, an annual anime convention run by fans, took place. The program included an anime art and model show, panel discussions, gaming tour- naments, and special events like “Anime Jeopardy” and “Anime Name-That-Tune.” For informa- tion contact [email protected] or visit http://home.ipoline.com/~vegi- Foot Soldiers by Curious Pictures, directed by Paul Berry. ta/an Image courtesy of Curious Pictures. nominees are: Arthur (Cinar Films), Reebok: Pods by Le Village, direct- * Sunday, August 23. Beverly Hills, Ned’s Newt (Nelvana), Reboot ed by Marc Caro. California, U.S.A. (Mainframe Entertainment/Allia- A compilation of the winning AICP Well, it’s sort of animation...Dove nce), Sam and Max (Nelvana) and commercials is now touring the Brothers hosted an auction of mar- Stickin’ Around (Nelvana/YTV). world with shows scheduled for ionettes, artwork, memorabilia Nelvana’s Franklin is also nominat- U.S. cities as well as Russia, and puppets from 50 years of Sid ed in the “Best Pre-School Program Poland, China, Japan and the & Marty Krofft productions such as or Series” category, along with sev- Czech Republic. For show dates & H.R. Pufenstuf. The event started eral live-action shows. Note: Com- locations, visit:www.aicp.com. at 3:00 p.m. in the Beverly Hilton panies listed for each production Hotel, 9876 Wilshire Blvd. For a indicate the CANADIAN producer Emmy Noms. The nominees for catalog, contact (800) 319-2759 or co-producer attached to the the 1998 Primetime Emmy Awards or visit www.dovebrothers.com. show. Winners will be announced were announced on July 23 by in October and subsequently the Academy of Television Arts & Attention Animation Flash readers! included in the Animation Flash. Sciences (A.T.A.S.). The 1998 Are there animation events going Primetime Emmy Awards will be on in your area? Share your AICP Honors Animation. The split into two presentations: a cer- regional event news with the Association of Independent Com- emony in Pasadena on August 29 international animation communi- mercial Producers recently present- and a telecast on September 13 in ty! Please send announcements to ed their annual awards at the Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium. [email protected], at least eight Museum of Modern Art in New Animation-related winning shows days in advance. York City. The animation category will be named in the subsequent Awards equally honored three produc- Animation Flash newsletter. The tions. They are: category for “Outstanding Animat- Gemini Noms. The Academy of Reebok: Foot Soldiers by Curious ed Program (For programming Canadian Cinema and Television Pictures, directed by Paul Berry. one hour or less)” includes four has announced the nominees for Culligan’s Water Softener: Stone nominations: its annual Gemini Awards. The Family by The End, directed by Cow And Chicken - “Free Inside, “Best Animated Program or Series” Shaun Sewter. Journey To The Center Of Cow, ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 80 I.R. Pixie Faerie” (Hanna-Bar- bera/Cartoon Network). Anima Mundi Winners. The Dexter’s Laboratory - ”Dyno-might Anima Mundi festival has had its YYourour AdAd & Lab-retto” (Hanna-Barbera/Car- full run in Rio de Janeiro and Sao toon Network). Paulo, Brazil. This is a festival at CouldCould BeBe King Of The Hill - ”Texas City which the audience is the jury. In Twister” (Film Roman/Fox). each city, the audience selects dif- HerHere!e! The Simpsons - ”Trash Of The ferent films, but this year’s selec- Titans” (Film Roman/Fox). tions were surprisingly similar. South Park - “Big Gay Al’s Big Gay Boat Ride” (Comedy Central). Rio de Janeiro selected: For rate cards and Best Film: Geri’s Game by Jan additional information about In addition to this award, Pinkava, U.S.A. various opportunities A.T.A.S.’ Animation Peer Group Second Best Film: Flat World by for exposure at votes on individual achievement Daniel Greaves, U.K. Animation World Network, juried awards. They selected Hank Best Film for Children: Es Wird contact our Azaria as “Outstanding Voice-Over Regen Geben by Benedikt Nie- Los Angeles Performance” for his role as “Apu” mann, Germany. office at on The Simpsons (Fox) and for the Best Computer Animation: Una Nit “Outstanding Individual Achieve- by Jordi Moragues, Spain. 213.468.2554 ment in Animation” category, pro- duction designer Eric Radomski Sao Paulo selected: or e-mail was selected for his work on Best Film: Geri’s Game by Jan any of our sales Spawn (HBO). Pinkava, U.S.A. representatives: There has been some Second Best Film: Flat World by recent controversy about the Daniel Greaves, U.K. A.T.A.S. animation peer group Best Children Film: Duel by Pavel North America: because Walt Disney TV and TV Koutsky, Canada. Animation president Charles Best Computer Animation: Una Nit Dan Sarto Hirschhorn recently applied for a by Jordi Moragues, Spain. position in this peer group— [email protected] which would give him the right to The “Best Brazilian Animation” vote for the best animated pro- prize is voted on by both audi- gram Emmy. In a turn of events ences. The winner is O Espantalho Europe: detailed in Daily Variety (8/10/98), by Ale Abreu, Brazil. ATAS reportedly rejected Thomas Basgier Hirschhorn’s application, and sub- Don’t miss our review of Anima [email protected] sequently, Disney “threatened to Mundi in this issue! yank a $12,000 ad from Emmy magazine, which is published by ATAS.” After some polling and scuf- U.K. fling, ATAS then decided to give Alan Smith Hirschhorn the voting position, and Disney reinstated the maga- [email protected] zine ad. The resulting opinion of some industry executives, includ- Note: Readers may contact any ing members of the peer group, is Animation World Magazine con- that Hirschhorn “bought” his vote. tributor by sending an e-mail to Other Location: [email protected]. The complete list of peer group [email protected] requirements is available on the web site, www.emmys.org. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 81 On A Desert Island With. . . . TV Toon Talents compiled by Wendy Jackson and Russell Bekins This month, we asked three people related to this issueÕs theme of television animation what films they would want to have with them if stranded on a desert island. Pascal Morelli is director of the new animated series Corto Maltese, featured on the cover of this issue. Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway are both executive producers at Walt Disney Television Animation, where they work on animated series such as 101 Dalmatians, MouseWorks and Timon & Pumbaa.

Bobs Gannaway’s Favorites: Tony Craig’s Top Ten: 1. Feed The Kitty (Warner Bros.). 1. Any Good Times Entertainment animated video 2. Charlie BrownÕs Christmas (Bill Melendez Produc- knock off. tions). 2. Fat AlbertÕs Halloween Special (Filmation). 3. The SorcererÕs Apprentice (Disney). 3. Pinocchio & The Emperor of the Night (Filmation). 4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (MGM). 4. The Tiny Clowns of Happytown. [EditorÕs note: We 5. Scaredy Cat (Warner Bros.). canÕt find anything on this one...perhaps Tony dreamed 6. Magical Maestro (MGM). this one up!?] 7. Mechanical Monsters (Fleischer). 5. Cool Cat (Warner Bros.). 8. Dumbo (Disney). 6. Swan Princess II: Escape From Castle Mountain 9. Cats DonÕt Dance (Turner). [Incidentally, Roberts (Rich Animation). was a writer on this film.] 7. The title sequence from Gremlins 2, directed by 10. Toy Story (Disney/Pixar). Chuck Jones (Warner Bros./Amblin). Added Roberts, ÒPlus, any Buster Keaton. HeÕs 8. Rubik, The Amazing Cube, the hour-long special (1983 TV series, producer unknown). more animated than most of todayÕs cartoons.Ó 9. Gene DeitchÕs Popeye extravaganza. 10. Vegas Vacation. (It wasnÕt animated, but by God it was hilarious!) Pascal Morelli’s People Picks: For his stay on a desert island, Pascal decided that he didnÕt just want to watch animated movies, he want- ed to be shipwrecked with five animation creators. One presumes that it would be handy to have an animation stu- dio tucked away somewhere on the sandy waste, but what they might come up with is anyoneÕs guess. Here is his list of fellow castaways:

1. Bob Clampett Òbecause heÕs the best of his kind.Ó 2. Hayao Miyazaki for The Castle Cagliostro. ÒItÕs fun, enjoyable; itÕs the best of Japanese, and it shows his poten- tial.Ó 3. John Kricfalusi, the creator of Ren and Stimpy, Òfor obvious reasons.Ó 4. Joe Horn for his work on Stevie and Zoia. ÒIt shows that everything can be done for no money; itÕs great poor manÕs animation.Ó 5. Peter Chung for Aeon Flux Òbecause itÕs totally the opposite of Joe Horn.Ó ÒItÕs a shame thereÕs no women on the list,Ó muttered Morelli. Independent Filmmakers, October 1998

This month we are going around the world as we look at independent filmmakers. Rada Sesic is going to discuss the animation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Andrea Martignoni will take a look at current Italian independent filmmakers. Philippe Moins is profiling South African animator William Kentridge. Plus, Marie Beardmore will examine the current market for independents. On the Commercials side of the issue, Karen Raugust is going to take a look at the popular animated frogs and wise-cracking lizards of Anheuser-BuschÕs successful advertising campaign for ÒBud-weis-erÓ beer. We are also going to hear from directors who explain why they enjoy being both inde- pendent filmmakers and commercial directors.

Barry Purves will grace us with yet another production diary and Glenn Vilppu will shed a little more light on life drawing. The 7th Hiroshima International Animation Festival and the Beijing Expo, along with the Society for Animation StudiesÕ recent pow-wow, will all be reviewed. In addition, Jerry Beck will review Dave WassonÕs new Oh Yeah! Cartoons! short, Max and His Special Problem.

Animation World Magazine 1998 Calendar

Independent Filmmakers (October)

Licensing and Merchandising (November)

Family Animation (December)

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE September 1998 83