Vol. 3 Issue 5 August 1998 AsianAsian AnimationAnimation andand ComputerComputer AnimationAnimation MalaysiaÕs Kampung Boy

Vilppu Life Affordable CG Drawing Set-Ups

Profiles: India, China and Vietnam

Plus: The SIGGRAPHCardiff, ZagrebÔ98 Special & Singapore Report Festivals Reviewed TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUGUST 1998 VOL.3 NO.5 4 Editor’s Notebook Old countries are learning new tricks...

6 Letters: [email protected]

7 Dig This! Metrovision puts cinema in reverse.

ASIAN ANIMATION

9 Ram Mohan and RM-USL: India’s Change Agents of Animation Dr. John A. Lent puts Ram Mohan and his new company RM-USL into perspective as India enters a new phase of development.

13 China-The Awakening Giant:Animation and Broadcasting in the Mainland Milt Vallas takes us inside China to understand this giant and its current bid for the world’s attention.

18 Emerging Vietnam Animation production is springing up in Vietnam. Anne Aghion and John Merson tell us about it.

COMPUTER ANIMATION 1998 22 Small Studio/Home Studio:An Overview of Low-End Computer Aided Animation Choices Michelle Klein-Häss describes the hardware and software we need to start either a 2-D or 3-D affordable CG animation studio at home.

OTHER

29 Here’s A How de do Diary: May How is Barry Purves getting on with his Channel 4 production? Find out in this month’s installment.

33 ASIFA’s Next Step Michel Ocelot relates the latest ASIFA International developments regarding ASIFA’s new relationship to festivals.

THE STUDENT CORNER

34 Vilppu Drawing Online: Spherical Forms Glenn Vilppu continues his world-class life drawing lessons. This month the focus is on Spherical Forms. UGUST FESTIVALS, EVENTS:

SIGGRAPH ‘98: Special Report

A A multi-media co-production of Animation World Magazine and Visual Magic Magazine, AWN’s SIG- GRAPH ‘98 Special Report feature articles, news, reviews, product announcements and a special “compa- ny profile” section. Highlights include a survey of women in the computer graphics industry, an educa- tion spotlight on SIGGRAPH courses and panels, an update on the SIGGRAPH documentary in progress and a special selection of Quicktime video clips of animated films showcased in this year’s Computer Ani- mation Festival and Electronic Theater. AWN’s SIGGRAPH ‘98 Special Report will be available exclusively on the Internet on the AWN web site.

© 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 August 1998 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUGUST 1998 VOL.3 NO.5 37 Cardiff:A Difficult Year to Be Any Festival Heather Kenyon relates the events from Cardiff, Wales, an educational festival full of panel discussions and lectures with many bright spots, despite the rain.

41 Zagreb ‘98: Better Than Ever! The artists’ festival...Gunnar Strøm tells us about the 13th World Festival of Animated Films in Zagreb, Croatia.

44 Singapore Animation Fiesta ‘98 Singapore’s Animation Fiesta is making a unique place for itself after just two events. Mark Langer describes this exciting newcomer.

47 Members of the Fastest Growing Industry Meet Up in the Big Apple:The Return of the Licensing Show! Deborah Reber relates the latest animated merchandising trends straight from New York’s Licensing Show.

FILMS:

50 Azimuth : Get Those Red/Green Glasses—3-D Has Made It to Tape! Judith Cockman reviews Staceyjoy Elkin’s Azimuth, a stereoscopic, 3-D computer animated film.

BOOKS: 1998 52 The Animated Film Collector’s Guide : David Kilmer’s Odyssey A tool to find almost any animated short in the world, David Kilmer’s long-awaited The Animated Film Collector’s Guide is reviewed by Emru Townsend.

HIDDEN TREASURES

54 The Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum:A Cultural Monument Jackie Leger takes us to the outskirts of Osaka, Japan to visit the museum dedicated to Osamu Tezuka, Japan’s revered father of manga.

NEWS

57 Animation World News Fox Invests In Ciné-Groupe, Oscar Rules Out TV Series As Shorts, DreamWorks Ups The Ante and more.

72 On A Desert Island With....Asian Animators Ram Mohan and Frank Saperstein.

AWN COMICS UGUST 73 Dirdy Birdy by John R. Dilworth

74 Next Issue’s Highlights

A 8 This Month’s Contributors

Cover: Kampung Boy is a new animated series about a youngster in Malaysia, designed by the cartoon- ist, Lat. An international co-production between the Philippine Animation Studios in Manila, broadcaster ASTRO in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and U.S. distributor Matinee Entertainment, Kampung Boy is an inter- national co-production in the truest sense of the word. The show was recently screened at the Singa- pore Animation Fiesta and will be showcased this month at the Hiroshima Animation Festival in Japan. Cover image and Quicktime movie © 1998 Matinee Entertainment.

© 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 August 1998 3 by Heather Kenyon Old countries are learning new In the past, in terms tricks... of large commercial produc- tions, Asian studios have he dog days of August are done the labor-intensive bringing another exciting work, primarily layout Tissue of Animation World through camera, while all Magazine. This month we are tak- design work, voice record- ing a look at Animation in Asia and ing, color keying, scripting, Computer Animation. We are spot- storyboarding and post pro- lighting three up-and-coming duction were done in either Asian animation-producing coun- the North American or Euro- tries: China, India and Vietnam. pean home studio. Perhaps Plus, in honor of SIGGRAPH, we this tide is turning. Will we are also issuing our first magazine see Asia nibbling at the pro- supplement in conjunction with duction steps that were cus- Visual Magic Magazine. The SIG- tomarily seen as processes GRAPH `98 Special Report will be that needed to be complet- on-line on August 11, 1998. ed on home turf? Asian pro- it is expanding the animation Asia continues to become ducers have certainly made it clear industry throughout Asia. Three more and more sophisticated in its that they are ready for the next countries currently preparing to production capabilities. Japan, a step and are developing their own make bids at the big time are world leader in producing animat- shows and shopping them at the India, Vietnam and China. ed footage, has brought the art to markets. On such series they will I am hoping Asian, Ameri- a new level, plus has manga and naturally be doing all of the pro- can and European studios can animation so integrated into its duction. Yes, the tide is turning work more closely on intelligent culture that, as Jackie Leger and Asia is trying to change from co-productions, bringing fresh, reports, Osamu Tezuka is regarded strictly a production house to a new Asian properties to our mar- as a national hero. Korean and creative player on the global mar- ketplace. These ancient cultures Philippine studios are continually ket scene. have spawned fascinating tales innovating with new technology In Asia, however, there are that I am sure would have global and expanding facilities. Many levels of preparedness for this new appeal. How many more times large Asian studios now have role. Japan, Korea, the Philippines can European and North Ameri- offices in Los Angeles in order to and Taiwan are the current lead- can audiences see re-hashes of the facilitate the animation process ers, having had an active anima- same old standard fairy tales and between North America and Asia. tion industry fostered by importing legends? Why, if children all over Indeed, Korean studio Rough work. In fact, one hears stories of the world can understand U.S. Draft performed quite a coup by work being so plentiful, that stu- programming, can U.S. children setting up a sister studio in Los dios in these countries farm it out not understand programming Angeles and snatching the high- through the back door to places from other regions? Kampung Boy profile, new Matt Groening series, like Bali, Malaysia and other grow- is such an example. This bright, Futurama, away from U.S. main- ing Asian animation countries. lively cartoon not only features stay Film Roman. Could this be the While this might get domestic pro- universal story lines, like children dawning of a new trend? duction managers hopping mad, being afraid to pass a certain ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 4 locale, but might even be more Overview of Low-End Computer A certain bright spot for us interesting as it shows how Aided Animation Choices.” This all this summer has been Disney’s Malyasian children dress, eat and incredible how-to article should be Mulan. Mulan has proven that yes, sleep. This is a “fresh, new enough to start you on your com- audiences will still watch an ani- approach,” we just need someone puter animating way, whether mated film if the story, music and to be brave enough to take it. you prefer 2-D or 3-D. We are also design are good. This summer has In this issue, beyond the highlighting a film by a true trail- been marked by films that are sup- SIGGRAPH `98 Special Report, we blazer Staceyjoy Elkin. Her film posed to be huge, but turn out to are also touching on computer Azimuth is the first anaglyph, be little. No film, not even films like animation. Michelle Klein-Häss has computer-generated animation to The Truman Show, which did well put her mass of acquired knowl- make it to tape. So dig through with critics and audiences alike, edge to the test by putting togeth- your junk drawer, pull out a pair of are showing any legs or staying er “Small Studio/Home Studio: An those funky 3-D glasses and enjoy! power. Could the leggiest picture of the summer be Mulan, a tradi- tional animated feature? Holly- wood, big effects blockbusters take a step back! The success of CAREERCAREER Mulan has not only brightened the faces of our jaded children, but has also made a lot of folks in CONNECTIONSCONNECTIONS feature animation breath a sigh of relief. Maybe this market can sup- Animation World Network’s port all of these films, maybe the recruiting section offers free postings production houses will all keep going—provided the films they and access to artist resumes produce have good stories, taste as well as recruitment advertisements and break the mold, even if just a little. “The recruiting site I’d also like to send a special thanks to David Kilmer, who has reaches thousands of artists helped me meet a long term debt from all disciplines, quickly to one of my brother’s best friends. It is amazing how easy it is to find and efficiently. AWN a rare animated short or two, if you just know where to look and certainly lives up to its who to call to order it. Within five name world-wide.” minutes, I had located the titles, the supplier and was on the -Machi Tantillo phone to make my purchase. Director of MTV Animation Thank you David for your Animat- ed Film Collector’s Guide ! It is a life saver...or at least a useful tool in - RECRUIT TOP TALENT resolving bets. AT A FRACTION OF Until Next Time... THE COST OF PRINT ADVERTISING Heather www.awn.com/career

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 5 [email protected]

An Animated Detail Sincerely, just shows how much the market In response to: The Anime Pierre Colin-Thibert has hit bottom. Most American “Porn” Market (Patten 3.4) Writer for animated children’s comic art, in trying to combine The New York Times did series, as well as many radio and Japanese manga and some badly not describe Doraemon as scantily television screenplays. drawn exaggerated fan looking clad. They were referring to Vision- art style, fail in achieving the ary by U-Jin, which had a genuine We have heard from Ani- effect. It has flash, but like vio- scantily clad female android from mation World Magazine readers lence, one can become desensi- the future named Doreimon. Of around the world in support of tized to that flash. I guess this is course, it was a reference to the Tibor Clerdouet, Yvan West Lau- just one symptom of the fast food kid’s show, but it wasn’t a kid’s rence and Cedric Littardi. M. Littar- culture of America. show itself. di is still seeking letters of support I believe many animators to use in his trial. should be doing comics because Sincerely, they have great knowledge of Ken Arromdee The State of Visual Narrative In pacing and visualizing. I’ve Film And Comics enjoyed Bruce Timm’s and Brad In Support of Littardi I totally and emphatically Rader’s comic book work because In response to: Littardi 3.4 agree with Peter Chung’s assess- they offer a great deal of addition- Though working in the ani- ment of “The State of Visual Narra- al material unknown to the reader. mation field and living in France, I tive In Film And Comics” (Chung was not aware of M. Littardi’s prob- 2.4) especially where comics are Sincerely, lems. I do agree that this trial concerned. These days I purchase Neil A. Hansen sends us back to the dark ages of comics solely for the artwork (and “Pétainism.” [Editor’s Note: Pétain at that, I have to be extremely P.S. I want Peter to try out a was the right-wing temporary choosy) because the stories are so series of graphic novels featuring a president of France during Ger- bad. The last comic book I thor- heroine named Kelly Green by many’s WWII occupation of the oughly enjoyed was Batman Leonard Starr and Stan Drake. country.] Wasn’t law 49-956 edict- Adventures: Mad Love by Paul These fast-paced adventures ed by Vichy’s government? France Dini and Bruce Timm. It was very opened my eyes to really good is supposed to be the champion of fast paced, but told its story purely writing and illustration. Even the ‘droit d’auteur,’ which includes through pictures and dialogue. It though they are out of print, they the right of writing and publishing was actually good! Unfortunately, are worth the hunt. freely. As far as I can see, Anime- DC Adventures Comics are the Land is not exactly Mein Kampf ! best ones to read because they fol- This trial is a shame as far as free- low a show that translates the dom of expression and the press is super-heroic medium very well. concerned. Besides, any child can However, whenever they throw in switch on the television and see a thought balloon, I’m automati- Note: Readers may contact any people dying on the 20h news, or cally annoyed. Animation World Magazine con- copulating in a show 30 minutes In addition, comics creators tributor by sending an e-mail to later. All of this sounds like sheer are now out for the loot and are [email protected]. hypocrisy. Animation for adults sometimes getting it. Look at must exist. McFarlane’s Spawn, a highly over- rated, dark comic book. It’s out- selling Marvel and DC titles! That

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 6 Dig This! Metrovision Puts Cinema in Reverse by Wendy Jackson ersistence of vision is the phe- nomenon that enables us to Psee motion pictures—a rapid succession of still frames—as a continuous reality. Cinema has been designed on this phenome- non, and we have constructed the idea of a cinematic experience being one in which we, the view- er, sit still while images pass before our eyes.

What if we were to keep the images still and move the peo- ple instead?

This illustration demonstrates the set-up of the Metrovision system. Image courtesy of What If? Optek S.A. What if we were to keep lizes many of the same optics prin- per hour up to 60 Km per hour the images still and move the peo- ciples discovered by pioneers in averages 10 to 20 meters or pan- ple instead? This is the thought the 19th century who developed els per second.” that motivated a group of engi- optical toys such as zoetropes and What may seem like a sim- neers, artists and scientists in Santi- phenakistoscopes. Metrovision, in ple idea actually took years of ago, Chile, to develop a system fact, could be described as a sort research, development and test- that literally reverses the cinematic of “human zoetrope.” As the train ing. “We can positively say that experience as we know it. Enrique moves, it passes a series of still ours is not a trivial solution. There Vial, a civil engineer with the images outside, at the passengers’ are others that have worked in Catholic University of Chile, and eye level. similar areas, but their solutions Dr. Miguel Lagos, a physicist with have not yet been practical in the University of Chile, formed a The Metrovision system uti- regards to both the physical phe- company called Optek S.A. in lizes many of the same optics nomena and economic feasibility,” 1993, sharing space with Vial’s principles discovered by pio- said Vial. He added, “We believe animation studio, Cineanimadores neers in the 19th century... that this project would not have S.A. Five years later, they have been possible ten years ago,” cit- patented “Metrovision,” a system Vial explains: “On the tun- ing that recent advances in com- which enables passengers on a nel walls we place panels, approx- puterized, numerically controlled moving train to view animation as imately 900mm long by 600mm machines, computational soft- they pass through tunnels. high and 100 mm deep. The clar- ware, techniques for graphic ity of the animated images applications and the development But How? depend on the train speed; 30 Km of new optical plastics materials The Metrovision system uti- ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 7 ANIMATION WORLD NETWORK 6525 Sunset Blvd., Garden Suite 10 Hollywood, CA 90028 Phone : 213.468.2554 Fax : 213.464.5914 Email : [email protected]

Close-up of a lenticular panel. Image courtesy of Optek S.A. were of capital importance for the commercial purposes but also for success of Metrovision. artistic means. [email protected] PUBLISHER Ron Diamond, President How Much? Dan Sarto, Chief Operating Officer Although the system has Wendy Jackson is associate editor EDITOR-IN-CHIEF been temporarily installed in the Heather Kenyon of Animation World Magazine. Chilean subway for testing, Metro- ASSOCIATE EDITOR Wendy Jackson vision has not yet been perma- EDITORIAL INTERN nently installed in a public transit Katie Mason system. The advertising agency J. Note: Readers may contact any CONTRIBUTORS : Walter Thompson has assessed Anne Aghion Animation World Magazine con- the system’s use for advertising Judith Cockman tributor by sending an e-mail to purposes, and has come up with a Michelle Klein-Häss [email protected]. pricing plan that would permit Wendy Jackson investment recovery for advertisers Heather Kenyon in a few months. Mark Langer Jackie Leger We believe that this project What else should we dig? Every Dr. John A. Lent would not have been possible month, Animation World Maga- John Merson Michel Ocelot ten years ago - Enrique Vial. zine will highlight the most inter- Barry Purves esting, exciting happenings in ani- Deborah Reber “We are now negotiating mation, in “Dig This!” Send us your Gunnar Strøm with an important foreign subway, ideas, suggestions, videos, prod- Emru Townsend which we expect to conclude ucts or works-in-progress today. Milt Vallas nicely, so soon we should be able You dig? Glenn Vilppu to start this as a business.” Vial OPERATIONS concluded, “We are completely Editor Annick Teninge, General Manager sure that once we are in one sub- Animation World Magazine WEBMASTER way, we will immediately be ‘in 6525 Sunset Blvd. Garden Suite Ged Bauer the market.’” 10 DESIGN/LAYOUT : The possibilities to expand Hollywood, CA 90028 U.S.A. Ged Bauer ADVERTISING SALES animation to new venues is excit- E-mail: [email protected]. North America :Dan Sarto ing. Hopefully, systems like Metro- Germany :Thomas Basgier vision can be used not only for UK: Alan Smith

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 8 Ram Mohan and RM-USL: IndiaÕs Change Agents of Animation By Dr. John A. Lent ndia has produced animation training to production. Its first attempted bigger works, foreign sporadically for 83 years and assignment is an animated fea- collaboration was sought. He Isteadily for more than half that ture, Bagmati. The demise of the gave me an example: “When we time, facts that are general- three-year-old course left the took up Meena for UNICEF in ly buried beneath the National Institute of Design in 1992, we had a staff of 20-25 hoopla given the popular Ahmedabad as the sole for- artists and we felt we did not have and gargantuan feature mal animation training cen- the capacity to handle production film industry. ter. of all 13 episodes.” Thus, many This relative early episodes were designed and obscurity may be storyboarded by Ram Mohan Bio- about to change graphics, but animated at Fil-Car- as foreign anima- toons in Manila. tion houses move To ensure a continuous further into Asia to flow of talent, RM-USL recruits mine inexpensive artists from the finest art schools labor pools, as Indi- and then provides them with in- an television channels RM-USL— house animation training; first proliferate and demand India’s Top Studio through a six- to eight-week pro- large chunks of program- Foremost among gram for newcomers who join at ming, and as domestic stu- Indian animation houses entry level as in-betweeners, and dios and training centers open in size, longevity, and then in an ongoing series of cours- up to serve these and other quality of work is RM-USL es in advanced animation for needs. Animation, established in upgrading clean-up artists to the Mumbai (Bombay), India’s April 1997, when Ram animator’s level. Hollywood, is home to most ani- Mohan Biographics formed a mation studios, although a few partnership with United Studios One of RM-USL’s immediate others have operated elsewhere in Ltd., India’s leading post-produc- accomplishments was the Hyderabad, Madras, and New tion studio. President of the com- strengthening of its personnel Delhi. Silvertoon and Creat Com- pany and animation guru, Ram pool, which was increased from munications, both in Mumbai, are Mohan said the purpose of the 30 to 120 in one year. engaged primarily in subcontract merger was to build a facility with work for U.S., French, and British enough space (about 5,000 The added space, equip- studios, using digital ink and paint square feet) and equipment (13 ment, and personnel allow RM- and compositing system. Silver- Animo work stations) to handle USL to operate at four levels, toon’s current project is a feature large volume work, mainly for according to Mohan: “[a] high production of Hanuman, a Hindu export. quality animation for commercials, mythological character. The pro- One of RM-USL’s immediate for which we have a separate ject was commissioned by an Eng- accomplishments was the team of animators, [b] high-end lish producer. Crest Communica- strengthening of its personnel animation on subcontract for stu- tions, whose forte is 3-D CGI, pro- pool, which was increased from dios in Los Angeles, [c] low-end, duces pilots for Los Angeles stu- 30 to 120 in one year. Mohan said low-budget, limited animation dios. Drawing on its pool of about that before 1997, staff shortages shows for local and Asian spon- 100 alumni, the Zee Institute of limited Ram Mohan Biographics sors, and [d] in-house productions Creative Arts (ZICA) in Myderbad, mainly to the production of short which RM-USL will try and market recently switched from animation commercials, and when the firm on its own.” ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 9 When I interviewed him July 10, 1993, Mohan was optimistic about the future of animation, pointing out that of 15 studios in India, already three or four were computerized, that a three-year diploma course in ani- mation was in the works for the Film and Television Institute in Pune, and that initial contacts with foreign animation clients had materialized. He said, “If we had assurance that studios abroad would send work here, we would have to train anima- tors and get more space. I’d start with 100 animators.” To Mohan, using relatively inexpensive Indi- RM-USL’s cast of characters. Courtesy of Ram Mohan. an labor to process overseas ani- After one year of the part- capacity to work on the total con- mation was not exploitative: “From nership, RM-USL’s production cept, from visualization to post- the Indian perspective, to do ani- record is rather impressive. The production, handling customized mation for Hollywood is an oppor- studio has designed, animated, projects and meeting deadlines tunity for young people to find a and post-produced three 12- with high-quality work at competi- career. There are very few chances minute episodes of Meena for tive quotes. For example, the for artists and this would open up UNICEF (South Asia), focusing on Meena episodes had a total bud- a large area of employment.” the girl child of South Asia; ani- get (excluding language dub- Reiterating several times mated one 16-minute episode of bings) of U.S. $60,000 each, the the problems incurred by a lack of Sara for UNICEF (East and South- Sara episode, U.S. $90,000 trained animators and working ern Africa), dealing with the prob- (including production, post-pro- space, he cited instances where lem of the African adolescent girl; duction, and dubbing in three lan- jobs were lost because studios animated, on subcontract, two guages), and the Adventures of could not deliver work on time. 24-minute episodes of Adventure Oliver Twist episodes, U.S. Mohan also saw Modi Entertain- of Oliver Twist for Saban Interna- $60,000 each. Mohan admits the ment’s dubbing of Disney anima- tional, and started pre-production latter price in rather low, but said tion into Hindu for Doordadshan work on a 13-part serial of 24 min- the work gave RM-USL the “oppor- television as a potential problem, utes each, called Jo Killat, for Sin- tunity to be measured, in terms of since it could minimize chances for gapore Television. The latter, co- quality, against other Asian com- local animators. However, he was produced with UTVI of Singapore, petitors.” quick to point out the advantages is one of several collaborations of Disney’s presence, especially the Mohan has had with foreign com- From the Indian perspective, building of interest for animation panies. In the early 1990s, he co- to do animation for Hollywood training of Indians in the Disney produced with Nippon Ramayana is an opportunity for young style. He concluded that all in all, Films and producer Yugo Sako, people to find a career. - Ram local animation would not suffer The Legend of Rama, a 135- Mohan because “in all the years that Dis- minute, award-winning animated ney was not here, animation still feature. He and Sako are now dis- did not grow.” cussing the possibility of co-pro- Animator Ram Mohan’s Visions A science graduate, Mohan ducing Krishna, another feature Some of Mohan’s long-held began his career in 1956, when based on Indian mythology. aspirations have been realized he joined the governmental Film RM-USL takes pride in its with the establishment of RM-USL. Division, then in the process of ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 10 developing an animation unit. For imports, includ- the most part, he was self-taught ing film, Phalke and early on, adopted the Disney was forced into style. In 1968, he joined Prasad making shorter Studio, a live-action feature film works than fea- company in Madras that had tures, so he invested in animation and needed resorted to car- someone to do the hands-on toons and doc- work. He started Ram Mohan Bio- umentaries. graphics in 1972. The first Indian animat- Several organizations and indi- ed film with a viduals have attempted to soundtrack, On advance Indian animation dur- a Moonlit Ram Mohan, left, and one of his key animators,Ajit Rao, July ing the past eight decades, but Night, was 1993. Photo by John A. Lent. without much sustained released in 1934, and credited to Cartoon Film Unit, part of the gov- success. composer and orchestra leader ernment-operated Films Division, R.C. Boral. A few others followed, true animation production came but not frequently or consistently, to India in 1956. The U.S. Interna- India’s Long Tradition of Anima- like Lefanga Langoor (1935), pro- tional Cooperation Administration tion duced by Mohan Bhavani, Super- helped financially, and former Dis- Animation reaches deep in man Myth (1939), directed by G.K. ney animator Clair H. Weeks, in India’s twentieth century history. In Gokhale and produced by Indian India as part of a cultural 1915, the father of Indian cinema, Cartoon Pictures, and Cinema exchange program, provided Dhumdiraj Govind Phalke, pro- Kadampam (1947), supervised by training. Weeks also collaborated duced the animated Agkadyanchi N. Thanu. However other film car- with veteran animator Gokhale to Mouj (Matchsticks’ Fun), followed toons must have been released to bring out the unit’s first work, by Laxmicha Galicha (animated justify the existence in the late Banyan Deer, adapted from a coins), and Vichitra Shilpa (again, 1930s of the Mumbai-based Indi- Buddhist Janaka story. inanimate animation). Because the an Cartoon Pictures. The Cartoon Film Unit war in Europe had slowed With the opening of the released a new film biannually until 1962 when production dou- BonusBonus HTMLHTML FeaturFeatureses Every online (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/issue3.5/3.5pages/3.5cover.html ¥ Table of Contents: Includes a Quicktime movie of the animated series, Kampung Boy, which is featured on the cover of this issue. http://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.5/3.5pages/3.5toc.html

¥ Vilppu Drawing Online: Spherical Forms The on-line version of this article includes three Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppu demonstrating drawing techniques that every animator should know! http://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.5/3.5pages/3.5villpu.html

¥ Azimuth: Get Those Red/Green GlassesÑ3D Has Made It To Tape! The on-line version of this review includes a Quicktime movie of Azimuth by Staceyjoy Elkin. http://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.5/3.5pages/3.5cockman.html

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 11 bled to four films decades, but with- per year. Most of out much sustained the animated success. shorts had edu- The situation cational or social in the 1990s seems themes. Howev- to be different and er, a few art films more encouraging, were produced at least for two rea- and a notable sons. First, the exception was merger of Ram Radha and Krish- Mohan Biographics na (1958). Based and United Studios on a Hindu leg- Ltd. has made avail- end and Pahari able the resources painting, the film that Mohan earlier was directed by The workplace of Ram Mohan Biographics, Bombay, July 1993. Photo by John A. had said were miss- Shanti Varma Lent. ing, namely equip- and Jehangir S. Bhownagary and before NID was set up. Initially, in ment, space, and know-how. Sec- received several awards. Pramod the late 1970s and early 1980s, ond, the tie-ins with animation Pati also directed art films in ani- the institute invited in foreign ani- firms elsewhere, either through mated form. Many prominent ani- mators such as Weeks, Roger co-producing or subcontracting, mators owed their training to the Noake, and others to teach its staff allow Indian studios to upgrade Cartoon Film Unit; besides Mohan, of graphic designers and artists. their technical skills and enlarge they included V.G. Samant, A.R. After these NID trainers (key their budgets, which if used wise- Sen, B.R. Shendge, G.M. Saraiya, among them are I.S. Mathur and ly, should allow them to engage in R.A. Shaikh, R.R. Swamy, V.K. R.L. Mistry) were taught by the more domestic animation. Wankhede, Shaila Paralkar, and outsiders, a two-year animation Rani D. Rurra, the latter two are workshop program was created to among the earliest women anima- recruit and train new animation Dr. John A. Lent has written or tors in India. faculty, and finally, in 1985, a two edited 52 books and hundreds of and one-half year advanced entry articles, many of which deal with The situation in the 1990s program for students was devel- comic art. In press are Animation seems to be different and oped. A condensed one-year in Asia (John Libbey), Illustrating more encouraging... scheme was added in 1986. Both Asia (Curzon Press), Assorted faculty, especially Mistry, Binita Issues and Themes in Asian Car- Outside the Cartoon Film Desai, and Nina Sabnani, and stu- tooning (Popular Press), and Pulp Unit, opportunities opened up for dents have produced a body of Demons (Farleigh Dickinson animators in the 1970s and animated film that emphasizes Press). He has lectured on car- 1980s, with the launching of educational and developmental tooning and animation in many independent production houses issues such as dowry, road safety, countries of Europe, North and and the National Institute of energy, and family planning, as South America, Asia, and Africa, Design (NID) in Ahmedabad. Chief well as artistic and literary themes. and has served on comic at com- among independents were Climb petition juries in South Korea, Films and, of course, Ram Mohan India’s Current Opportunity Cuba, Slovakia, U.S., and Poland. Biographics. The first to specialize Several organizations (par- in computer animation, Climb ticularly Cartoon Film Unit and Films was started by Bhimsain, a National Institute of Design) and Note: Readers may contact any musician and producer-director of individuals (notably Phalke, Animation World Magazine con- live-action film. Gokhale, and Bhownagary) have tributor by sending an e-mail to Not much formal anima- attempted to advance Indian ani- [email protected]. tion training occurred in India mation during the past eight ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 12 China-The Awakening Giant: Animation And Broadcasting In The Mainland by Milt Vallas have been asked a good many the leaders in a global economy. based joint-venture businesses. Tax questions over the years about More simply put, China wants incentives were offered along with Imy experiences living and pro- their slice of the pie and they real- beefed-up infrastructures and ducing animated films in China. In ized that to do so, they needed to relaxed customs regulations, all response, I often reply that modify their political philosophy to meant to entice foreign invest- explaining China is analogous to accommodate their economic ment and new technology into the old saying about the three goals. Remember, the Chinese China. blind men trying to describe an have only been Communists for elephant. Each man touches a dif- fifty years, while they have been Early Animation Production in ferent part of the elephant and so pragmatists for well over two China their descriptions are extremely thousand years. When I arrived in China in varied. 1985 I had few expectations of Deng Xaioping and the Open finding a studio able to handle the The mediocre quality of work Door production I was producing. At in those early years reflected Arguably no individual was that point in time Asia already had more the animator’s lack of more influential in China’s change a number of successful studios experience than anything else. of direction than Deng Xaioping. spread throughout Taiwan, Japan, He emerged from great disfavor Korea and beginning in the Philip- A great deal has changed during the Cultural Revolution to pines. My client however had spe- since I first went to China in 1985. become China’s Paramount Leader cific reasons for wanting to place I believe to try to understand what and most ener- the work in China. The financial is presently happening getic and group backing the film had other in the animation influential ventures in China and were seek- and televi- adversary ing ways to use their potential sion indus- for econom- RMB (non-convertible) profits to tries in ic and social produce a product that could be China, you change. exported and sold for hard curren- must Somehow he cy outside of the country. In other begin by walked the very words, the film had to be pro- looking at thin line of advo- duced in China. the larger pic- cating the At that point in time there ture, the coun- development were really only two animation try itself. China is a country of an open, mar- studios to be considered. Shang- of 1.5 billion people living ket based economy, hai Animation Studio and Jade under a political system that while still upholding the Animation in Shenzhen. Shanghai can be highly schizophrenic and basic tenets of a socialistic Animation was a state-owned and at times, paranoid and xenopho- society. Not an easy task. Under managed studio which produced bic. ‘A mystery wrapped up in an Deng’s leadership China’s econom- films for the home market. The enigma,’ to paraphrase another ic policies began to shift noticeably company had been in existence old saying. The growth of the ani- in the early Eighties. Special Eco- for a number of years and had a mation and broadcast industries in nomic Zones (SEZ) opened in number of talented artists but they China is reflective of the overall Shenzhen and Zhouhai in South- were not familiar with western ani- changes that have occurred in the ern China and others followed mation techniques or timing. Also, economy specifically, and around the country. These zones being the quintessential state- throughout Chinese society in were established to provide for- owned company, the bureaucracy general. These changes are still on eign investors specific areas to was so thick you could cut it with going and are basically driven by build factories and plants and a knife. The other studio, Jade Ani- China’s desire to become one of establish headquarters for service mation, was a new joint-venture

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 13 company located roughly 60 miles offer, we decided that we would 80 small studios spread through- from Hong Kong in the new Spe- be better served to start fresh and out the mainland. Many of these cial Economic Zone in the city of build a new studio from the are subsidiaries of broadcast Shenzhen. Jade was owned and ground up. groups or other media companies. operated by a large broadcast In late 1987 Pacific Rim Ani- The industry has more or less cen- group in Hong Kong (TVB). It had mation received a license to open tered itself in and around Shang- been established to produce ani- for business within the Shenzhen hai with studios spread widely mation for TVB and provide ink Special Economic Zone. Obtaining over a several hundred mile radius and paint services for numerous the license as a wholly owned for- of the city. In the small town of Japanese studios. Neither of these eign company was another story Suzhou there are two of the studios felt right for the project I unto itself. To this day I am not largest studios, Wang Films was to produce. Jade was primar- absolutely sure how we did it, but Shouzhou and Hong Ying (Red ily an ink and paint service lacking I do know that the process rivaled Eagle), plus a number of small animators, while Shanghai Anima- any grand opera in the machina- office branch studios of other com- tion was too entrenched in the tions that were undertaken to panies. Both Wang Films and bureaucracy of a state-owned accomplish it. To my knowledge Hong Ying are Taiwanese and company. this was the first, and to this day, have auxiliary studios in Shanghai, As things turned out, we the only license granted to any as well as operations outside of ended up producing our project company in the film business to China. Wang Films, possibly the at a start-up studio located in operate in China without a local most established of all Asian stu- Guangzhou (Canton). The studio partner. dios, operates in Taiwan, Thailand was a joint venture between and Indonesia as well as China. Shanghai Animation which sup- The cost factor is still favor- Shanghai itself has a number of plied the artists, The Pearl River able for labor when compared studios including the patriarch film company which supplied the to Korea,Taiwan and certainly Shanghai Animation and Shang- facility and a Hong Kong partner Japan. hai Morning Sun, another Tai- who supplied the money. wanese venture. Shanghai Anima- In the ensuing fourteen In the following seven tion has now opened an auxiliary months I experienced more ups years Pacific Rim Animation pro- studio created to compete for and downs than I can recount. duced over 500 half-hour animat- overseas production. Hong Kong The majority of artists were young ed shows, worked on three fea- Animation Services is yet another and away from home for the first ture films and several producer of animation in the area time, while trying to learn new television/video special projects. At and employs a group of satellite techniques and meet a set of one point the studio employed studios set up in cities surrounding requirements with which they nearly eight hundred people and Shanghai. In the southern city of were not familiar. Looking back was the largest studio in China. I Shenzhen, the industry is still very now at that experience, I am sur- believe the company played a well represented by two other prised that we were able to seminal role in the development of large studios, Jade Animation and accomplish what we did. The film the animation industry in China; Colorland Animation. Both of was finished after much delay and although those who followed these companies are Hong Kong sold to The Disney Channel, BBC probably learned more from my joint ventures and compete with and a number of other distribu- mistakes than they did from any- several smaller studios which are tors. Sadly, the effort all but thing else. Within three years a either state supported (Oriental destroyed the studio. The opera- number of joint venture studios Hong Ye - CCTV) or Japanese tion was a success but the patient began to appear on the scene operated satellite operations (Ris- died. After the completion of the and the growth of animation pro- ing Sun Animation), working film the Hong Kong partner with- duction in China was well under- exclusively for parent studios in drew its financial support, citing way. Japan. heavy losses on the project. The The major change I see remaining Chinese partners then The Current Status within the industry in China over asked if we wished to take the Today the animation indus- the past fourteen years is the place of the departed Hong Kong try is well established in China. increase of talented artists, direc- partner in the joint venture. After Five or six large studios dominate, tors and production staff available giving due consideration to this but there are perhaps as many as to the studios. In the beginning, ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 14 like any new industry, there wasn’t make their living on a piece rate or be entertained I might get lucky any staff available who didn’t footage system. In other words, and see some ballroom dancing, require a good deal of training. the more they produce the more acrobats or watch a lady in a Peo- The mediocre quality of work in they earn. This system is effective ple’s Liberation Army uniform sing those early years reflected more but has some built-in problems. If an uplifting song about a hero of the animator’s lack of experience artists feel no connection to the the revolution. I was often glued than anything else. As in Taiwan, work they are doing and derive no to the set. Korea, Japan and the Philippines pride or enjoyment from their The Chinese television sys- before, Chinese animation has efforts, they will naturally produce tem was simple. You had CCTV matured and grown with time. at the lowest and fastest possible broadcast throughout the country Studios have learned what their level of acceptance. While this is on one and then later, two sta- clients expect and have now had unfortunate, consider if you were tions. Secondly, you had provincial the time to both train and polish asked to make a film in a language television stations which, if possi- their staff so as to deliver what is you couldn’t understand, had no ble, were even more bland and expected. Management has also idea what the story was about, unexciting, broadcasting local pro- matured and technology has been and never saw your work fit into grams and controlled by provincial embraced to help the studios pro- the final product after you were government agencies. The key duce large volumes of work with- finished. Further consider that for word here is controlled. In a coun- in demanding time frames. Nearly most of your life you had little or try where no one was quite sure all of the large studios offer digital no knowledge of the humor, his- from day to day what was permis- ink and paint services which reme- tory or art of the culture for which sible, risk-taking was not a trait to dies many past problems caused the film was intended. Unlike be encouraged. All local broad- by sub-standard film laboratories Japan, Taiwan, Korea or the Philip- casters took their cue from CCTV, and poor camera equipment. pines, China has only recently and Central Television walked and been exposed to our culture. I talked nothing but the straight New broadcast groups are believe however that this problem and narrow party line. forming daily and Chinese tele- is solving itself as young artists vision, once a wasteland of continue to come into the indus- Bingo! The very same thing tractor repair programs and try, and as long as China keeps its that grew the television indus- Communist Party talking window open to the world. try in the U.S. in the Fifties heads, is reinventing itself and Sixties is now happening in feverishly. Television and Cable Industries China. In summation animation in China production in China is alive and If the animation production Today, hundreds of televi- doing very well. The cost factor is business in China has grown and sion stations now compete with still favorable for labor when com- matured, the broadcast side of the one another across China. CCTV pared to Korea, Taiwan and cer- business has shot off like a rocket. now has 12 stations in its network tainly Japan. The number of ani- New broadcast groups are form- and last year reported revenues of mators has grown substantially ing daily and Chinese television, 2.8 billion RMB (divide by seven over the years and with the largest once a wasteland of tractor repair for dollars). Shanghai Television population in the world today, it programs and Communist Party has its own Sesame Street show seems that the talent pool will con- talking heads, is reinventing itself for kids, in Chinese. Chinese tinue to grow to fill any foresee- feverishly. broadcasters are showing up at able needs of the industry. During my early years in NATPE, MIP, Annecy and other If there is a downside I China I often watched CCTV (Cen- television markets around the would only say that the animators tral Television) for a lark. If I had world appearing ready to do busi- in China must become more inte- understood Mandarin (all CCTV is ness. Chinese agencies are even grated with the product they are broadcast in Mandarin), I could inviting outside industry trade del- producing. The system of paying have learned a great deal about egations to visit and help promote artists in China is similar to the sys- how to cure swine diseases, the growth of the industry within tems used throughout Asia in tele- increase the yield of my rice crop, China. What’s going on? What vision animation. Animators, back- better serve the Communist Party happened to all those great shows ground and layout artists are or decrease the rodent infestation on tractor repair and where’s the given nominal salaries but really in my city or town. If I wished to guy who used to urge me to stay ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 15 on the socialist path? Well, I think all somehow attached to the gov- growing by leaps and bounds, they’re still around somewhere but ernment on some level. Either many of the people in those they’ve been lost in the explosion they are part of the Central Gov- households have money to spend of programming that is sweeping ernment like CCTV, or they operate on products and services that across this huge and ravenous under the auspices of provincial, advertisers want them to use or country. city or town broadcast bureaus. buy. Bingo! The very same thing Before I attempt to explain How tightly they are controlled that grew the television industry in why I believe this has happened, depends on where they are and the U.S. in the Fifties and Sixties is let me first touch on the new to whom they answer. Their fund- now happening in China; over broadcast groups themselves. First ing comes in the form of govern- 1.5 billion potential consumers sit- and still the leader, is the official ment subsidies and more and ting in front of television sets wait- broadcast arm of the Chinese more from advertising revenues. ing to be entertained, informed Communist Party, our old friend In a way, these groups are not and sold a better bar of soap. CCTV. Central Television is the BBC unlike the PBS Network here in Remember the old barter of China. It is operated by the Cen- America. They are supported by system where producers, advertis- tral Government and has by far government subsidies, instead of ers or their advertising agencies the largest footprint within China. corporate grants and public would finance a program and Now expanded to 12 stations, it endowments, but they all look to give it away to stations in generates revenues from advertis- secondary advertising revenues to exchange for air time they would ers while continuing to receive grow and prosper. use to advertise their product? It is government funding. Being the now a common practice in China. official government television A recent article in the Interna- In exchange for the rights to broadcast group, it has the advan- tional Herald Tribune estimated broadcast a program you can split tage of producing more original that our trade deficit with three minutes per half-hour with programs than the other network China will surpass Japan’s next the station and sell your Golden groups with the Bureau of Radio year. Ox face cream, Great Wall beer or and Television Broadcasting dou- Flying Pigeon bicycle. Stations and bling CCTV’s budget for new pro- Returning to a point I made network groups all over China are gramming from last year. Next, as earlier in this article, to understand in a frenzy, swapping program- far as size, is probably the City how any of this works requires ming and advertisers, with the Wireless Network which pieces that you first understand the com- same intensity as commodity together over 200 stations promises China has made in its traders on Wall Street. Does this throughout China. This group political philosophy in order to sound like Capitalism? consists of many provincial and achieve its economic goals. The And where do all these city broadcast stations and has Chinese explain the return of advertising dollars (RMB) come grown a great deal in a short Hong Kong with a slogan: One from? A good deal comes from amount of time. Possibly the most country, two systems. What that you and me. A recent article in the aggressive and popular broadcast- means is that it’s permissible to International Herald Tribune esti- er in China is Shanghai Television. adopt capitalistic ways of doing mated that our trade deficit with A second broadcaster in the same business as long as the result is China will surpass Japan’s next area is Oriental Television, also deemed to be for the long term year. The late Deng Xaioping based in Shanghai. Both of these good of the country and the party. would be delighted. groups are also government con- Hypocritical? Confusing? You bet, trolled but operate with greater but that’s the way it is. Chinese Business Philosophy entrepreneurial freedom. Follow- Looking at a few more Returning to television, ing the Shanghai groups are Bei- numbers should shed some light what’s all this mean to foreign jing Television and Guangdong on what is happening in the Chi- companies who desire access to Television which have strong local nese broadcast industry. Begin sell their programs and their prod- followings in their regions. with this, China has a population ucts in this ever expanding mar- of over 1.5 billion people and ket? For the most part, I think this The Almighty Dollar within that society nearly forty per- will be a very long and very diffi- All right, you may ask, but cent of the households now have cult journey for the large majority how do all these broadcasters televisions. Further consider that trying to establish themselves in work? Well, to start with, they are now the Chinese economy is China. I believe many will try ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 16 because the potential is so great, er. The foreigner was always we possess. but I fear most will not achieve depicted as brash, loud and not great success in the near future. very bright. In contrast, the Chi- Looking Back My views are based upon my per- nese business man was always So much has changed sonal experiences in China, and cool and patient. The deal was since I first traveled to China: the my understanding of the society negotiated and the foreigner country has modern hotels, the and culture. I have seen too many gloated, thinking he had got the economy is booming, you can eat business ventures start with high better part of the deal. Of course and dance at the Hard Rock Café expectations and smiles all there was always the closing tag, or grab a Big Mac if you’re tired of around, only to die slowly in an where the Chinese business man noodles and dim sum. Animators ocean of frustration. I know that disclosed his hidden agenda. His no longer work for 50 dollars a many large broadcast groups, foreign adversary was always left week and you don’t see any Mao both American and European, are stunned and embarrassed upon jackets being worn on the streets. negotiating for broadcast, satellite learning how he had been best- I almost want to say, “What a and cable deals within China at ed. The Chinese man then cele- shame.” China has changed and this time. I wish them success, but brated his victory with a glass of so have I. I continue to work on I will be truly surprised if they cognac and a smug smile into the projects in China and still travel receive any substantial conces- camera. Doing business in China there quite often, but at times I sions from Chinese broadcasters or is difficult. The Chinese may at miss the old, crazy days of building media groups. times walk like a duck and quack a studio and working with people like a duck, but you’ve never met a who were so eager to learn, not I have seen too many business duck as shrewd and patient as this only about animation but about ventures start with high expec- one. different people and cultures. I tations and smiles all around, I want to add that despite retain very positive memories of only to die slowly in an ocean the doubts I’ve expressed above, I those early years and I am very of frustration. would not exchange the ten years glad to have been there at the I believe the Chinese side or so I spent living in China for beginning. knows exactly what cards they anything. I have a great respect hold and the huge potential of and admiration for the people of their own market. China will solic- China and have numerous friends Milt Vallas is an animation exec- it help from the outside in order to within the country. I believe my utive with over 30 years experi- build their industry, both in tech- remarks are pragmatic and realistic ence in the industry. He was nology and financing, but forget and are based upon my belief that president of Pacific Rim Produc- about them giving away the farm. the Chinese are too intelligent and tions and oversaw the opera- Remember, no matter how you savvy to give away anything with- tions of Pacific Rim Animation view these broadcast groups, they out receiving something greater in Studios in China and Manila for are still under the control directly return. Remember the trade seven years. He currently is a or indirectly of the Chinese gov- deficit. I also wonder if Western consultant to a number of ernment. They might appear television product will travel as clients and specializes in the eager to deal but they will always well in China as it has throughout development, financing and have a very specific agenda which the rest of the world. This is not to production of animated pro- is a mix of culture and politics. In say that companies in other indus- jects. His company, Media China there is no win-win business tries like McDonald’s and Coca- Vision is located in Studio City, philosophy. There has to be a win- Cola have not done well and that California. ner and a loser. For a number of others will not succeed, but I can’t years in Hong Kong, there was an help but believe that any major advertising campaign of television inroads by foreign groups into Chi- spots to promote a very expensive nese broadcasting will be a long Note: Readers may contact any brand of French cognac. Though time coming, and not easily won Animation World Magazine con- it was a series of commercials without paying a heavy price. The tributor by sending an e-mail to made over the years, they all con- pot of gold is definitely there and [email protected]. veyed the same theme. A Hong it can’t be ignored, but staking a Kong or Chinese business man claim will take perhaps more was closing a deal with a foreign- patience and perseverance than ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 17 Emerging Vietnam by Anne Aghion and John Merson roducers of animation are in 1994 was French. “They proba- from 2-D pencil animation, to 2-D always on the lookout for the bly decided to set up shop there digital ink and paint, to 3-D CGI Pnext great opportunity. In because there was no one else in key-frame animation, the latter recent years some animation pro- the country,” recounts Anne Col- being directly operated by Sparx* ducers have been creating titles in let, the current managing director Paris. The production model they Vietnam. At first glance, Vietnam of Paris-based Pixibox Studios, have chosen to follow, is to do the would seem an unlikely location about the deci- compositing, modeling and for producing high-quality anima- sion of the rendering of the images in tion. So why is the country emerg- company’s the home studio, in this ing as a significant site? Who is management in case, in France. producing animation in Vietnam, 1994 to move To hear Anne Collet and what has their experience into Ho Chi Minh talk about it, it been? Finally, what are the City in a partnership sounds like the studio prospects for continued growth in with the Education and in Vietnam is really her the Vietnamese animation indus- Audiovisual Center. Pix- pet project. She visits every try? ibox Studios, part of the three to four months to convey Since the war, and up until Humanoids group of com- the “European philosophy” the late Eighties, the state studio in panies, is the largest 2-D dig- she wants to maintain there. Hanoi, run by the Ministry of Cul- ital animation studio in “We give priority to quality ture, was the only animation Europe, and today produces and to new technolo- house in Vietnam. They worked mainly for the television series gies. In Vietnam, we mainly on institutional and educa- market. Sparx*, its sister company work exclusively for tional films. All their animators within Humanoids, and one of the producers who were trained in the Soviet Union, leading CG houses in France, want quality.” and worked traditionally without operates the 3-D side of the studio To illustrate any concerns for the bottom line. in Ho Chi Minh City. this, she Anne Collet wasn’t part of proudly says The pioneers that marked the Pixibox Studios at the time they that the transla- beginning of the modern era in established themselves in Viet- tors and inter- Vietnamese animation came nam. But for over ten years, preters who from Japan in 1991. in her capacity as a man- work in her stu- ager of production dio regularly win The pioneers that marked houses, she has the yearly govern- the beginning of the modern era worked all over Asia, ment contests for the best in Vietnamese animation came including Japan, translators in the country. from Japan in 1991. They settled China, South, and Pixi Vietnam is able to han- in Long An, about 30 miles from even North, Korea, dle about 70 minutes of pencil Ho Chi Minh City, and were in and she says the Viet- animation a month, and more operation for a little under two namese are “terrific workers, and than double that volume in digital years, then closed down. Howev- once they know how to do a job, ink and paint. On the 3-D side, er, they left a great legacy of rela- they really do it well.” they churn out close to 60 min- tively well-trained animators for Pixi Vietnam, run by Didier utes per month. Pixi Vietnam’s their successors to build on. Montarou, a film editor by train- clients include the French Canal+ ing, has close to 250 staff spread subsidiary, Ellipse, for whom they Pixibox Makes A Move over two locations in Ho Chi Minh work regularly, Canal+’s other sub- Their immediate successor City, and offers services that range sidiary Medialab, Dupuis, and ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 18 Canadian producer developing pilots up operations there in the last four Nelvana who also for animated TV years include: Korean studio Hahn uses the facilities in programs. The Shin, one of the larger South Kore- Vietnam. company designers an studios, which works in a part- In Pixibox’s were very talented, nership with the Orthopedic Cen- wake, half a dozen and Morgan Inter- ter in Ho Chi Minh City to train the foreign animation active was able to handicapped to do in-betweening producers have win most of the and traditional ink and paint, and tried to establish projects for which Worldwide Animation, a sub- studios in Vietnam they submitted pro- sidiary of Philippine Animation Stu- with various posals. That was dio, Inc. and a traditional 2-D pen- degrees of success. the good news. cil and ink and paint studio, who Foremost among The bad news was some say could be either in the these is Ed Dua’s rapidly escalating process of closing down, or con- Morgan Interactive. costs. Producing verting to a digital facility. Philip-

One Friday after- Ed Dua, CEO of Morgan Interac- animated titles in pine Animation Studio Inc. noon in December tive. Photo courtesy of Morgan the Bay Area had declined to comment on the of 1994, Ed Dua, Interactive. recently become future of the company. CEO of Morgan prohibitively expen- Interactive, was staring out the sive, and the difficulty of finding The widespread use of English window of his San Francisco talented animators and program- is an advantage Vietnam shares office. In spite of the spectacular mers was occupying an increasing with India... view, Ed could not help worrying share of Ed’s time. about a difficult issue facing his Ed thought about a recent young company, a producer of comment one of his venture capi- Vietnam’s Unique Position high-quality animated titles for the tal investors had made to him. It helps to view this expan- children’s edutainment CD-ROM Jean-Marc Merlin, a partner of sion of animation in Vietnam in and TV industry. Both businesses H2O, was building The Press Club, the context of the country’s were growing fast and were high- a high-end hotel, restaurant, and remarkable adaptation to the ly competitive. In order to keep conference facility in Hanoi. In global economy of the 1990s. The pace with the industry’s growth, describing his experiences in Viet- three keys were the collapse of the Ed knew he had to find a solution nam, Jean-Marc had told Ed how Soviet Union, the opening of full that would enable him to expand impressed he was with the quality diplomatic relations and trade Morgan Interactive’s animation and quantity of art schools in Viet- between the U.S. and Vietnam, production capacity at a cost that nam, and noted that a number of and the emergence of the Inter- would allow him to remain com- French companies had begun net. As Vietnam’s leaders watched petitive. producing animated films there. the collapse of their major donor He wondered if perhaps Vietnam nation, they looked for alternative One of the main reasons these might help Morgan Interactive in sources of aid to rebuild their war- Vietnamese ventures are so its quest to build production ravaged economy. The solution productive, is the exceptionally capacity at an affordable cost. they seized upon was market cap- strong Vietnamese artistic tra- Today, under the leader- italism in the form of private for- dition. ship of Phil Tran, who was born in eign investment. By opening their Vietnam and educated in the Unit- economy to investment from pri- ed States, and handled Morgan’s vate companies, they managed to New Media Comes To Town entry into Vietnam while a young bring in more than $20 billion in Morgan Interactive pro- lawyer at the Philips Fox firm in funds, not to mention invaluable duces multimedia CD-ROM titles Hanoi, Morgan Interactive Viet- technology transfers from Taiwan, for many large publishers, includ- nam has turned into a large facili- Hong Kong, South Korea, Aus- ing Houghton Mifflin, McGraw ty that employs more than 150 tralia, and European nations. Hill, Virgin Interactive, and others. animators and programmers. When diplomatic relations Recently, Morgan also began Other companies that set with the US were re-established in

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 19 1995, an additional source of pri- of Pacific Standard time. Ed Dua basic drawing techniques, with an vate foreign investment was likes to joke that Morgan works eye to anatomy for animation.” found, as well as access to funds twice as fast as most companies, Training also played a part from the World Bank, the IMF since the work produced in Viet- on the 3-D side at Pixi Vietnam. (International Monetary Fund), the nam during the first 12 hours of “We had developed a pioneering Asian Development Bank, and the day is then transferred back to method in France to convert tradi- other international organizations. San Francisco around the time tional 2-D pencil animators into 3- Finally, Vietnam’s link to the Inter- that U.S. producers are beginning D animators in record time. We net dramatically lowered the cost their work-day. The U.S. team then applied it to Vietnam exactly like of communications between Viet- has 12 hours to review and com- we had done in Paris,” says Guil- nam and the rest of the world. ment on the progress being laume Hellouin. The animators Particularly for producers of digital made, after which files are sent there “work under the guidance of animation, the Internet allowed back to Vietnam for the start of the one of the top CG animators in low cost file transfers between next cycle. France, who moved to Ho Chi Vietnamese production facilities Minh City for us almost two years and a company’s far-away design Native and Colonial Influences ago,” he adds. centers. One of the main reasons Ed Dua also cites wide- Sparx* managing director these Vietnamese ventures are so spread knowledge of English as Guillaume Hellouin, whose com- productive, is the exceptionally another reason for Morgan’s suc- pany is currently at work on the strong Vietnamese artistic tradi- cess in Vietnam. He credits the Nelvana, Disney Channel and tion. Vietnamese culture has French colonial era with introduc- Métal Hurlant Productions’ co-pro- always put a lot of emphasis on ing the Vietnamese to a Western- duction pre-school series Rolie drawing and painting. “They tradi- style alphabet, making it much Polie Olie explains: “Our produc- tionally train sculptors and lacquer easier for Vietnamese students to tion philosophy is that Vietnam painters, because these industries learn French and English. Today and Paris run in perfect harmony. have job openings,” explains Anne most Vietnamese high school and We operate as if the two studios Collet. The French reinforced this university students study English. were on two separate floors of the tradition during their hundred- As a result, the animators and pro- same building. And our partners, year colonial period by encourag- grammers hired by Morgan are with the appropriate passwords, ing the formation of art schools. nearly all fluent in the language. can go into a dedicated FTP web At Pixi Vietnam, Anne Collet This makes it much easier for Mor- site at any point and look at any has put a lot of effort into training gan staff to train their Vietnamese particular scene that either Paris or and has even set up a one-year counterparts and explain new pro- Ho Chi Minh City is working on, program which on a quicktime file.” Hellouin enrolls about 40 new insists on doing only the key-frame people a year, a animation in Vietnam, and keeps dozen of which come the modeling and rendering in out as full-fledged ani- Paris. mators. In conjunc- Similarly, Morgan chose to tion with the Viet- keep its design activities in San namese government, Francisco, where its most experi- she is also starting a enced animation designers are new program next based, many of whom were September geared drawn from Disney and other specifically at anima- leading companies. These top tion at the School of designers provide both direction Fine Arts in Ho Chi and feedback to the animators Minh City. “We will and programmers based in Ho Chi start a new curriculum Minh City. over five years,” she It just so happens that Viet- explains. “Our plan is Sparx* worked on the CG-animated series, Bob and nam’s time zone is 15 hours ahead to teach students Scott. © 1998 Fox Kids.All Rights Reserved.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 20 jects. The widespread use of Eng- Several years ago, when he tried keep the rest of the animators to lish is an advantage Vietnam to set up his first venture in Viet- continue to work on television shares with India, where many nam, Udo taught a few classes in series.” observers of the Indian software computer imaging at Ho Chi Minh Hellouin has feature ambi- development scene see it as a City’s largest private university, Van tions also. “Right now, we handle major contributor to India’s suc- Lang. Through his contacts there, top-quality, full key-frame, almost cess. he has been able to find the skilled full animation, with seven to eight Both Anne Collet and Ed staff that he will need for his new characters per scene, all fully ani- Dua also praise the work of their studio. He hopes to have 30 to 40 mated and even some animated managers. “It’s a hard country to people trained to work on Silicon backgrounds,” he explains. In handle,” says Collet, who explains Graphics machines within the next addition to Rolie Polie Olie, he has that the French managers and four months. Hahn Film is one of been working regularly on Bob head animators who work for her the leading animation houses in and Scott, a series of cartoony “either pass the first three-month Germany. They have produced interstitials in the Tex Avery style, period and adopt the place, or many series for television, like Ben- which Fox Family Channel just else break down because it’s too jamin Blumchen, and features for licensed for broadcast in the fall. hard, or they become too sick.” theatrical release, including Wern- “Down the line, I hope to set up a The head animator at Pixi Vietnam er Beinhart, a major blockbuster in full feature quality team, and we’re is half French, half Vietnamese, Germany. close,” he beams. “It takes a lot of and has had an easier time of it. Ed Dua, for his part, is con- energy, it’s a difficult and lengthy For his part, Ed Dua doubts that fident that he can continue process, but five years down the Morgan would have made nearly expanding the organization he line, I hope to have a powerful, as much progress without Phil has built in Vietnam. As to expense pleasant studio. I feel like I’m gar- Tran’s leadership. His “great advan- levels, Ed estimates that Morgan’s dening, trying things out here and tage is that he combines his cost of completing animation pro- there, and some grow and bloom understanding of Vietnamese cul- jects is about 30% less than it in the right way, and others you ture with his U.S. education and would be if all of the work were have to trim or pull out complete- management style,” he says. done in San Francisco. This figure ly.” takes into account the fact that In her studio, Collet hopes to design work is done primarily in the US, and that travel and com- Anne Aghion is an animation pro- add 100 staff members per duction consultant based in year for the next seven years. munications costs are higher than they would be if all work were France and the United States, done locally. These savings, which who worked with Pixibox Stu- An Expanding Picture Ed terms substantial, also reflect dios. Looking to the future, Udo the cost of setting up operations in Sabiniewicz, who heads FX Ani- Ho Chi Minh City. Suffice it to say John Merson is a consultant and mation and Anicolor in Germany, that Morgan can afford these costs director of several software and should be opening a studio in Ho because it does a large number of Internet companies, including Chi Minh City in the next few projects for its many partners, and IBM, Intuit, and Net Earnings. He weeks, a project he is undertaking is in Vietnam for the long term. No has helped several software com- in close collaboration with Ger- company could expect to achieve panies establish partnerships in hard Hahn’s Hahn Film Produc- these savings if it had to set up Vietnam, and advised the Viet- tions. They plan to work mainly on operations in Vietnam for a single namese government on software the modeling of 3-D animated project. policy. backgrounds in Vietnam, and will In her studio, Collet hopes keep the texturing and rendering to add 100 staff members per year in Postdam. Udo has had many for the next seven years. Then Note: Readers may contact any years of experience in Southeast she’ll stop “because I want to Animation World Magazine con- Asia but chose Vietnam because bring them to the feature level. I tributor by sending an e-mail to “it’s the best place to find very high plan to take half the staff, and [email protected]. skilled workers at such wages.” have them work on features, and

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 21 Small Studio/Home Studio: An Overview of Low-End Computer Aided Animation Choices by Michelle Klein-Häss omputer-aided animation Disney uses its own proprietary on personal computers that lower has truly come into its own scanning, inking, painting and priced programs will emerge. Cin the 1990s: from comput- compositing program, called To run most of the pro- er multimedia and games, to tele- CAPS. Other major studios use grams we will be mentioning in vision commercials, all the way up packages like Softimage Toonz this overview, one needs a good, to animated features like Toy Story, and Cambridge Systems’ Animo, strong computer system, be it on A Bug’s Life, and Small Soldiers which require high-end SGI or the Mac side or the PC side. Mac- and animated TV series like Reboot WindowsNT workstations to use. intosh of course tends to run sig- and Beast Wars. However, most of Softimage Toonz is $13,000 per nificantly more expensive, but the these cited examples use very workstation, and works on SGI Mac’s superior ease of use and its expensive equipment, like Silicon and high-end WindowsNT work- OS-level support for sophisticated Graphics workstations, and either stations. Cambridge Systems’ color graphics and color control custom software like that used at Animo only runs on SGI and high- make it highly recommended for Pixar or expensive packages like end Intel workstations running these sorts of applications. Howev- Softimage 3D, once distributed by NeXTStep, and checks in at U.S. er, with intelligent use of third Microsoft and now distributed by $9,000 per license. party programs and attention paid Avid, which runs over $10,000 to enhancing the video subsys- U.S. Here’s some specs on what tem, a PC running Windows95 or However, things are begin- you need at the heart of your Windows98 is competitive with ning to change in both large ani- Small Studio/Home Studio. the Macintosh for these opera- mation studios and smaller outfits. tions; and in some cases there are Programs like 3D StudioMAX by The fact is, however, that no Mac versions of these pro- Kinetix are running on high-end less expensive, off-the-shelf PCs grams, particularly in the case of WindowsNT workstations with and Macintoshes can be used for AXA Personal Edition, a well-rec- eye-popping results, and Light- professional results in computer- ommended 2-D paint and com- wave3D by NewTek has made aided animation. In the past few positing package. incredible inroads in both Win- years, 3-D packages as inexpen- Here’s some specs on what dowsNT and Power Mac shops. In sive as $200 have emerged to you need at the heart of your both cases, the machines that run allow students and animators who Small Studio/Home Studio: this powerful software are heavily want to do their own indepen- “tweaked,” with massive amounts dent projects to create very attrac- For PC Clone of RAM and large arrays of super- tive and fluid animation. Because High-speed Intel Pentium fast hard drives that cost large of the more specialized nature of MMX, AMD K6, Intel Pentium II, sums of money. These more rea- 2-D paint and compositing soft- Intel Pentium II Xeon or AMD K6-2 sonable software packages are ware, there are no packages of CPU, running at least 200MHz. only more reasonable by degrees: this kind to match such a low price Intel Pentium Celeron and Cyrix 3D StudioMAX costs $3,500 U.S. point. However, for between CPUs are not advisable for anima- per workstation, and Light- $500 and $1,300 U.S. per license, tion due to various design weak- wave3D costs $2,000 U.S. per very powerful 2-D programs are nesses. Wavetable sound card, workstation. available, and one can only hope either PCI or ISA based. The 2-D animation packages that with more and more people Soundblaster AWE-64 or the are similarly in the stratosphere. looking to do animation projects Soundblaster/Ensoniq PCI-64 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 22 sound cards are UMAX and Epson make excellent choices. dynamite scanners, Other wavetable and have oversized for- sound cards are mats available. If you good, too, but stay can handle using 8.5” x away from OPL-3 or 11” regular paper and OPL-4 based sound can get your own cards. Those use Acme punch, scanners FM synthesis and as inexpensive as $80- sound like old $100 will work beauti- arcade games. fully. Again, look at A 16-bit UMAX and Epson, but sound system is don’t be afraid of no- more than sufficient name scanners if you for our purposes. can get a crack at try- 17-inch or larger ing them out before monitor...the big- The iMac: Macintosh’s new answer to the affordable home computer. But you buy them. You will ger the better. True can it handle animation software? Time will tell...Photo by Terry Hefer- need to mount a peg- 3-D video accelera- man. Courtesy of Apple Computer, Inc. bar on your scanner to tion. The 3-D cards you install side- tion of the price. However fast and keep your images straight. by-side with a 2-D video card wide, SCSI and Ultra fast/wide which are designed for computer SCSI is still the performance For Macintosh games will not help you with com- champ. 604e or G3-based Power- puter animation. Look for 4 to 16x (speed) CD-Rom is PC CPU. However, bear in mind Direct3D and OpenGL accelera- ideal. Faster CD-Rom drives are that MacOS X, due next year, will tion, and for chipsets like the Riva often finicky about less-than-per- not run on anything other than 128, Permedia 2, ATI 3D Rage Pro, fect CD-Roms. However, slower G3. PCI Macs with G3 CPU and Rendition V2200. Look for CD-Roms are harder and harder to upgrades should be fine, though. video RAM amounts of 8MB or find, so if you can only get a 24x, 17-inch or larger monitor...the big- greater, although you can get by grab it. Drawing tablets are a per- ger the better. True 3-D video with 4MB if you are running a 17- sonal matter. If you like them, get acceleration. If your Mac only has inch monitor. TV Video Out is a one with which you can feel com- an ATI Rage or ATI Rage 2 chip consideration if you want to out- fortable. You can use a mouse, but onboard, look into PCI video cards put your animations direct to make sure you are comfortable like ixMicro’s Pro Rez and Ultimate video. You will also need 64MB or with your mouse. Don’t be afraid Rez and ATI’s Xclaim and Nexus better RAM. There are people who to switch pointing devices around. lines. If you don’t know what say that more than 64MB RAM will video chip is used in your Mac, There is no such thing as a cause a slowdown on Win- find out. Same advice on video cheap 2-D animation program, dows95/98...not so. Just adjust RAM for PCs goes for Macs...if you unless you count the share- your “virtual memory” downward cannot fit more than 2MB of video ware and freeware programs until you get Windows95/98 to RAM onboard your Mac, it’s time to out there for doing little ani- use your installed RAM and only look for a video card. If you don’t mated .GIFs for the World resort to the swap file to disk in Wide Web. have Video outputs from your emergencies. Mac, get a card that can do that 4.3GB HD (hard drive) is Scanners can be helpful in like the Xclaim VR. All the RAM you bare minimum. Look into the new 3-D, and they are indispensable in can afford. 64MB is bare mini- huge UltraDMA EIDE hard drives. 2-D animation. If you want to use mum...the MacOS can utilize as They are only a hair less fast than standard animation paper, you will much RAM as you can throw at it. a fast and wide SCSI drive at a frac- need a large-format scanner. It depends on your Mac. Modern

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 23 PowerMacs use plain EIDE hard original Jaz drive but with a media $128 if you are lucky — a collapse drives internally, which is slow and cost one-third that of the Jaz. The of a hundredfold in price. Good poky compared to Ultra fast/wide SparQ comes in IDE and Parallel monitor manufacturers include SCSI. However, your external SCSI Port versions, the IDE being the Viewsonic, Hitachi, MAG Innova- chain only gives you 5MB/second best choice due to its faster and tion and (if they are to your taste, throughput, which slows down more reliable performance. Unless some find them harsh to look at external SCSI drives. You might do you have already invested in the but they certainly are sharp) Sony. well to add an internal SCSI card, Zip drive, don’t bother. For $12- Good economy brands include or to get just the fastest rated EIDE $20 per cartridge you only get Optiquest, Viewsonic’s economy HD you can. PowerMac 8500, 100MB of storage. When bought brand, and Princeton. The brands 8600 and 9500 and 9600 in three-packs, the SparQ media that Apple put their mark on are machines have fast SCSI internal costs $33 and holds ten times as usually very nice, albeit expensive. cables so those are ideal Macs for much. Another thing to stay away If you want to use a PC monitor on the job, particularly with G3 CPU from are tape drives. Yes, they are a Mac, you will need an adapter. upgrades. 4GB is an OK size, but extremely cheap on media prices, This adapter is easy to get and you might want to look at a much and the costs of tape drives have your dealer will probably pre-con- bigger HD. The CD-Rom you got gone way down, but they are very figure it for you. stock with your PowerMac is fine. slow. The tape drive on my PC OK, so now you have your See my PC advice on pointing takes two hours to back up, then computer. Here’s a quick overview devices. With the ADB bus, you verify 200 MB of data. I’m throw- of some good software packages can daisy-chain pointing devices, ing out that tape drive as soon as available to you. so you can get the best of both I can afford a SparQ. worlds...a good mouse (Apple’s 2-D Animation Tools ADB Mouse that came with your Let’s Talk Money... Unfortunately, the market is system is a fine one) and a good Anyway, all told, a PC of kind of limited and very, very rich. drawing tablet. Again, use my PC the caliber you need to run most There is no such thing as a cheap advice, and remember that Macs of the programs I will mention 2-D animation program, unless can only use SCSI scanners. Any here will probably set you back no you count the shareware and free- scanner that has a P next to its more than $1500 to $2,000. ware programs out there for model name or which says “Paral- Macs, of course, are more expen- doing little animated .GIFs for the lel Port Model” or “EPP Model” is sive, but if you are willing to look World Wide Web. PC-only. at refurbished Macs you can get Currently you have two an 8600 for less than $2,000. The choices under $2,000 (That’s right, None of the programs I will G3 upgrade can be less than $2,000!): AXA Personal Edition discuss here are over $500 $800, and the RAM upgrade will and Linker Animation Stand Multi- U.S., which is really good news. probably add $200 or $300 to media Edition. Animation Stand that. Multimedia Edition is $500, but The monitor, however, can will only export at a resolution of Backing It All Up run $400 or so for a good 17-inch 512 pixels by 384 pixels, which is Other items that are helpful monitor and soars into the stratos- fine for cutting Quicktime and/or for your small studio/home studio phere from there. Monitors are the .AVI files for CD-Rom or the Web, computer system are a good back- most expensive elements of a but insufficient for video. AXA Per- up drive. The Iomega Jaz or computer system at this point. A sonal Edition is a fully-functional SyQuest SyJet are the best choices few years ago, RAM was the big version of the program missing for the Mac and decent choices expense. I remember a comic only a few features for heavy-duty for PC. PC users have the addition- book startup I was involved with production, and costs $1,300. al choice of the SyQuest SparQ which spent $10,000 on 128MB AXA has distinguished itself by drive, which uses cartridges with a worth of DIMMs. Now an 128 MB being used by overseas animation capacity of 1GB, identical to the SDRAM DIMM will cost about house AKOM for electronic ink and

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 24 Unfortunately will someone put out a truly inex- either route is pensive 2-D animation solution? expensive. Since MetaCreations seems to be Decent-quality very keen on putting out inexpen- large format sive 3-D animation products, and scanners by has flirted with 2-D animation in its makes like consumer product Art Dabbler, UMAX and why don’t they put their prodi- Epson cost gious talents to work on a Small around $2,500 Studio/Home Studio Ink, Paint and to $3,000. An Compositing program? Acme punch One last program in this costs some- category needs to be covered, thing like $400; and that is Macromedia Flash. a big expense, However, I will discuss Flash in a but at least later segment of this article. more reason- able than a big Plentiful 3-D Programs scanner. How- The picture brightens con- Fluffy, an independent film created with Hash Animation:Master, ever, an anima- siderably when you look at the has been screened at animation festivals around the world. tor used to 12- embarrassment of riches available paint and compositing on the TV field paper might feel a little con- to the Small Studio/Home Studio series The Tick and Casper. strained on letter-size paper. It’s a animator in 3-D. There are many If you are on a Macintosh, trade-off. In any event, you mount choices available, from hobbyist the only choice you have is Ani- a pegbar on your scanner to keep level to professional quality. None mation Stand Multimedia Edition. your drawings in registration. AXA of the programs I will discuss here AXA is a PC-only product. One can comes with a calibration target to are over $500, which is really only wish that someone at REI, the help you properly position the good news. software company that makes pegbar. AXA, would see fit to port AXA to When I mentioned the Of all the programs I have Macintosh. However, with all the dilemma I had in recommending a examined for this article, Mar- fear, uncertainty and doubt spread 2-D package on Usenet, I received tin Hash Animation:Master 98 is the most promising and by those who profit from the Win- several e-mails about a common most useful for serious anima- Tel monopoly, it is unlikely such a kludge that animation students tors. port will happen. If you perceive often use: the combination of that there is no market for a port of using Photoshop to scan the The company which has your software to a platform drawings and Premiere to com- strength in numbers in the low wrongly perceived as dying, you posite and assemble the drawings end of 3-D is MetaCreations. From will probably not bother. into finished animation. The trou- the low end to the high end, their An additional expense of ble is, the cost of Photoshop and line-up includes Ray Dream 3D, doing 2-D animation on comput- Premiere, when bought as full Bryce3D, Ray Dream Studio 5 and ers is either a large-format scanner products and not as upgrades or Painter 3D. or your own Acme punch (yes, under a student discount, is just Ray Dream 3D is MetaCre- that’s what animation paper about as much as AXA Personal ations’ entry-level program. It is punches are called — this might Edition, so you might as well opt designed to take the neophyte by be the origin for all those Acme for either AXA or Animation Stand the hand and teach them the products in classic Warner Bros. Multimedia Edition. basics of 3-D animation. It uses the shorts) to punch letter-size paper However, the paucity of familiar “wizards” approach to to use at your animation table. choices begs the question: when guide the user through steps like

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 25 setting a stage, animating existing process, familiar to anyone used to the classic 3D clichés like fly- objects, or modeling his/her own Photoshop, Illustrator or MetaCre- throughs and flying logos and objects. One of the coolest things ations’ own Painter programs. whatnot, but what it excels at is about Ray Dream 3D is the provi- Painter not only works with Ray character animation. The entire sion for exporting your work as Dream Studio 5, but programs like program is set up and optimized animated .GIFs for the World Wide 3D StudioMAX and Lightwave 3D. for creating characters, from the Web. It seems as if MetaCreations It usually runs about $300 “street realistic to the cartoony, and ani- has not only 3D animator wanna- price.” mating them in a realistic fashion. bes in mind, but Web developers One of the most exciting The results can be nothing short of as well. The price is right, too: aspects of MetaCreations’ products magical. When I first saw AM98 in $100 or less. is that they are working with action at the New Animation Tech- Bryce 3 is a program like no Microsoft on a Web content archi- nology Expo, I was impressed by other. It is designed from the tecture called “MetaStream.” Not how the results compared to the ground up for the creation of many details are available on this computer animated commercials sophisticated landscapes, and is new system, but it promises to pro- done by Will Vinton Studio and set up in a very intuitive fashion. vide Web designers and video Mainframe Entertainment’s car- Want to “play God?” You can here. game programmers a way of toon series ReBoot and Beast This new version allows for ani- plugging in files created in Ray Wars. mating the landscapes, like Dream Studio 5 or Ray Dream 3D AM98 is put out by a small adding rushing water, rustling and presenting them in an eco- software company, Hash Inc., leaves and night skies that nomical, fast-loading fashion. We’ll which doesn’t have the budget to change. Bryce 3 would be a fine stay tuned for future details. buy space in computer catalogs tool to use in connection with Martin Hash and advertise in the big computer other programs like Ray Dream Animation:Master 98 (AM98) is not magazines. They sell direct from Studio 5 or Martin Hash Anima- as well-known as Meta Creations’ their web site and by mail order. tion:Master 98. line of products, but in a lot of What AM98 has that a lot of the Ray Dream Studio 5 is the respects it is the most powerful low-end animation programs high-end, semi-pro version of Ray program on the low-end of 3D. don’t is a very faithful, very clueful Dream 3D. It is a polygon-based Unlike even Ray Dream Studio 5, group of passionate program system like 3D StudioMAX, and AM98 is used extensively in profes- users. It’s a lot like the following has a feature set comparable to sional settings, including TV com- the Mac has: people get down- the $3,500 U.S. system. It also mercial production and video right evangelical about AM98 and uses advanced features like game character design. Duke are very willing to share their expe- physics models and collision Nukem and his opponents in the riences with the program. Once detection, a rarity on the low-end. smash hit game Duke Nukem 3D you start using AM98 there is a The program is available at less were all designed using AM98. host of tutorials on various aspects than $300 U.S. at most outlets, AM98 is not a polygon- of the program available all over and can be expanded with plug- based system, but a spline-based the World Wide Web. There are ins. The MetaCreations web site system. As such, it has more in people on the AM98 e-mail mail- lists only two plug-ins, but promis- common with the tools that Pixar ing list talking about producing es more to come. developed in-house to make Toy collaborative animated films with Painter 3D is not a 3-D ani- Story and Geri’s Game than with the software, and sharing render- mation program as such, but a 3D StudioMAX or Softimage 3D. ing time. Plus, almost no question drawing program which allows Lightwave3D has a somewhat is a bad question on the list, and the real-time decoration of 3D similar concept going called list members are happy to answer models. The sometimes arcane NURBS, but NURBS are similar, but questions and help newbies. process of applying textures, sur- not exactly the same as the splines Oh, and did I mention the faces and “decals” onto 3-D mod- that are at the heart of AM98. price? $200 for the product, and els is turned into an intuitive AM98 can be used for all all the upgrades and betas you

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 26 Apparently NewTek is target- ing and editing program is also ing this not only at people helpful. Some good ones on the who are looking to get into 3- PC front are Cool Edit Pro and D animation, but also at web Sound Forge XP. However, all the developers (with full support tools you really need to bring it all for VRML 2.0) and graphic together are there in Flash. artists. Some of Inspire 3D’s features are the ability to Flash has one Achilles’ heel, export as Photoshop files, use and that is sound. Photoshop filters, and take Illustrator files and extrude You do not need to have them as 3-D objects. anything up on the web server you choose to host your web car- And Finally, the Web toons other than the proper MIME- Let’s take a look at the Web, type set on the server. If your host- The amazing Flash3! Photo courtesy of Macro- a new medium, and its new master doesn’t have it set, tell media. tools. In the past three years, them that it’s application/x-shock- want for a year. Each subsequent an entirely new medium has wave-flash . Nothing is capitalized, year’s subscription costs $100. It’s sprung up: The Internet. From there are two dashes and one for- an incredible bargain. There is a people throwing Quicktime and ward slash. Ask your hostmaster $700 version which adds the abil- .AVI files onto the Internet and the nicely and it should be a breeze. ity to set up an unlimited number occasional animated .GIF, now Flash has one Achilles’ heel, of workstations to do distributed there are new media types which and that is sound. Sound is often rendering, but that’s primarily use- are specifically designed for the tinny and odd in Flash, and lip ful for bigger animation studios. low-bandwidth conditions of the synch is loose at best. Oddly Of all the programs I have exam- Internet. enough, the way to get around ined for this article, Martin Hash Macromedia Flash is now the sonic weaknesses of Flash is to Animation:Master 98 is the most in its third iteration, and has turn it into RealFlash. Consult Ani- promising and most useful for seri- become quite ubiquitous on the mating the Web: RealFlash in Ani- ous animators. If you are used to Web. Currently my web site, Ani- mation World Magazine for the 3-D modeling using a polygon- mation Nerd’s Paradise, is running entire skinny on how to process a based program, you might have a two different web cartoon pro- .SWF file into the composite little bit of a learning curve. If you grams made with Flash. You can RealFlash format. Unlike plain Real- are an absolute beginner, you will find them in the ANP “Funny Media files and Flash files, also have a learning curve to deal Pages” at RealFlash requires a server to pull with, but again, the help is out http://anp.awn.com/funnies/ . the pieces of the presentation there. Flash is perhaps the most together. However, when RealNet- One last package in this affordable 2-D animation format works releases its G2 Basic Server category of software is one just available. For $300 you can get later this year, you will have a free- released by NewTek, called Inspire Flash 3 and have almost all the ware tool to deploy RealFlash on 3D. Inspire 3D is a low-end pack- tools you need to create web car- your web server. Again, ask your age by the same company that toons. If you like to draw on paper hostmaster nicely. developed Lightwave3D, and rather than use a tablet or a Another technology which shares many of its features. It is mouse, you will need a scanner (a is beginning to come of age on unclear from the documentation pegbar and Acme-punched paper the Internet is VRML. VRML is pro- on Inspire3D that I have been is good but not entirely necessary) nounced VER-mill, and the exposed to what changes have and a vector art program like acronym breaks down to Virtual been made in Lightwave to arrive Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Reality Modeling Language. VRML at this more limited program. Freehand. A good audio record- is now in its second iteration, and

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 27 there are now reasonable tools But it’s a promising technology, become a TV programmer or a available to create virtual worlds and all the people who got on the movie mogul. on-line. SGI site to play with the virtual This article will be contin- Sojourner Mars Rover came away ued on Animation Nerd’s Paradise, VRML is now in its second iter- with a little thrill. It will be interest- including more in-depth reviews ation, and there are now rea- ing to see where the technology of the various products men- sonable tools available to cre- takes us. tioned. We will also be interview- ate virtual worlds on-line. With the evolution of the ing animators who have their own World Wide Web, and the rise in Small Studio/Home Studio, and Even though VRML is a text availability of wider bandwidth like bring their insights to you. ANP is format like HTML, it is pretty much Cable Modems and xDSL, the located at http://anp.awn.com/ . impossible to hand-code VRML. future of rich media on the Inter- You have to have some sort of net is very bright indeed. Once tool. One good VRML editor is the average speed on the Internet made by Cosmo, a spin-off com- accelerates beyond 28,800 bps, ANIMATION NERD’S PARADISE — pany from Silicon Graphics. It’s towards the megabits-per-second The most honored animation fan called Home Space Designer and realms of Cable Modems, xDSL, site in Web history! it’s basically a scaled-down version satellite modems and other won- http://anp.awn.com/ of their $600 Cosmo Worlds pro- ders planned for the future, we Now a proud part of the Anima- gram. There are other programs might see cool stuff like video on tion World Network that can do VRML, including the demand, and TV-like broadcasts. new NewTek product Inspire3D When this happens, a new chap- Michelle Klein-Häss is editor/web- and to a lesser extent, AM98. But ter may indeed be written in the keeper of Animation Nerd’s Par- Home Space Designer is specifical- history of mass media. adise, and lives and works in the ly designed to create VRML, and The glory of the Web is that San Fernando Valley, California. it’s only $100. Unfortunately, now Freedom Of The Press does- She can be reached via e-mail at Home Space Designer is only avail- n’t just belong to those who own [email protected]. able for Windows95/98 and Win- a press and have distribution. Any- dowsNT. No Mac version currently one with a computer and an Inter- Note: Readers may contact any exists. net account can be a publisher. Animation World Magazine con- VRML is still in its infancy. Hopefully in the future, anyone tributor by sending an e-mail to VRML plug-ins are often unstable, with a computer and an Internet [email protected]. particularly on the Macintosh side. account will have the power to

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 28 HereÕs A How de do Diary: May by Barry Purves Editor’s Note: Lumps, reproduce the sound of lapsing and being put to bed, I warts and all, for eight an oboe or violin with have felt very much less than a months Barry Purves will truth. I may only have hundred percent. That’s the last share his personal pro- ten players for our film, thing I need now. With every day duction diary with us for but they are there with accounted for until the end of the his current project with human rhythms and year, I cannot afford to be ill. Channel 4, tentatively unpredictability. I laugh Maybe I should not have eaten titled Here’s A How de do. though to think that that bacon that was a month past This film will take a look at the union says, if play- it’s sell by date. three men: Gilbert, Sulli- ers play a second instru- I was pleased to tackle a Barry Purves. van and Richard D’Oyly ment, they get another, piece of staging in Episode Five Carte. D’Oyly Carte brought smaller fee. I’m glad I did not write that had worried me. I’ve solved Gilbert and Sullivan together and in a triangle for a single note! the problem with a good piece of formed the D’Oyly Carte Opera I’ve attacked the storyboard sleight of hand and don’t need to Company, which performed for Episode Four today, and this revert to any effects. I think that Gilbert and Sullivan operas for 100 really does charge along angrily Episode Five will be very moving years. While the trio worked and should be fun to animate. or hideously sentimental. It’s a fine together for roughly 25 years, line. their relationship was strained at May 5th best. How will the production of A three day break from G At the moment it is a bit their story go? All we can do is and S, and I’ve lost the momen- frightening that we are filming read along monthly and find out... tum somewhat. I’ve also returned in five weeks. to work under a cloud of melan- May 1st choly: perhaps it was another A composer arrived yester- round of hospitals and sickness May 7th day with the demo music for Sue’s that has done this, perhaps it’s the Still feeling somewhat Dynodogs pilot and we both spectacularly damp and un-spring- under the weather and it did not loathed it. So electronic, with no like day, perhaps it’s a realization make a very busy and difficult day musicality at all. This was the very that this film is never going to be any easier. I really do need to have worst example of music for chil- what I want it to be. How can I some time to myself with the dren’s animation—bland pap. It pay homage to G and S, and put script, well, just time to myself. I’m made me so angry; angry that all my passion for their work, into feeling the pressure. It is possible anyone would think that this a mere 15 minutes? My sleep is that there really is only so much could inspire children to listen to interrupted by songs and snatches information the brain can hold. music. Why is music so often an that I’ve left out. Perhaps the Another big production afterthought or considered a less- melancholy is a panic that we are meeting, and I think things are er element? This was written to only a few weeks from starting starting to get made, but at the some sort of mechanical program and there isn’t really much to see moment it is a bit frightening that with no feeling for melody or char- yet. I’ve not even finished the sto- we are filming in five weeks. acter. I fear no real instrument ryboard. I don’t even know what is came within miles of the studio. the final image. May 8th It did make me appreciate Still not too well, and had the pleasure and luxury of being May 6th to go home in the afternoon. The able to work with an orchestra for It’s ironic that as I story- thought occurred to me that I was Gilbert and Sullivan. Nothing can board the scene of Sullivan col- still in my 30s when I made my last

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 29 ous music I know—the Penguin They are all full of exciting things Café Orchestra. No music has had in development and suddenly, I a deeper effect on my life. felt an outsider. I really don’t know Happily, I think I have fin- what my future is after G and S. ished the storyboard today; well Happy 156th birthday Sulli- over 300 drawings (very basic van! drawings, I have to add) for 211 shots during the 15 minute run- May 14th ning time. The average shot is just A good long talk to Clare over 4 seconds. This should give Kitson and I think we have sorted things a lively pace. out a few things about the film. We are both quite happy with the May 12th title G & S—The Long and the Carte’s bedstead has Short of It. Not only is this a line arrived, and it is quite a work of from Princess Ida and is sung in art—very exciting. Richard has our film, but it says something managed to incorporate the let- about our condensed version of ters G and S into the fine metal their story and about the men Not just a British thing: A poster from a work. This prop will be featured a themselves. It’s also got a catchy Japanese production of Warship Pinafore. Gilbert & Sullivan are loved worldwide! lot, so it’s just as well to have all the rhythm. We also talked about the Image courtesy of Barry Purves. detail. Carte’s skeleton is finished, difficult subject of “Fair Moon to film; do I still have the stamina and and Gilbert is nearly there. Slowly, Thee I Sing.” I do understand Clare concentration for this marathon? things are happening. wanting this film to have as many On the radio at the recognizable songs as possible, May 11th moment are several commercials but I’m keen to make the story A weekend of culture lifted for conservatories, using ‘and he work firstly. And, if I’m being awk- the spirits and recharged the bat- polished off the handle of the big ward, I think we should draw peo- teries: Hal Prince’s epic Show Boat, front door’ from HMS Pinafore. It ple in with the old favorites and and a double bill of Stoppard’s certainly stands head and shoul- introduce them to a few new Inspector Hound and Shaffer’s ders above the other jingles, but... songs. Hopefully, I was not too Black Comedy; this last being a stubborn or difficult about keeping piece of total inspiration, and a May 13th the score the way I wanted it— reminder of just how wonderful A few more props are well, more than that, the way it and inspiring live theatre can be. A appearing. Now it starts to get works. succession of ever more manic exciting. The cut-out of D’Oyly gags left me breathless. I’m afraid Carte’s wife is here, looking I think, after animating for 20 no film, animated or otherwise, resplendent in her wedding outfit. years, that I can get puppets to has done that to me. Knowing the Just reading a book about G and do what I want, but is what danger of live theatre gives every- S, I saw that when Queen Victoria they do the right thing? thing an edge missing from any- famously commanded the D’Oyly thing else. Carte to perform The Gondoliers But I do hope that the film in Windsor Castle, Gilbert’s name is more than just a pot-pourri of On the whole, and this is awful was accidentally left off the pro- “classical Monday Pops.” I’ve for me to say, animators don’t gram. You can see that Gilbert worked hard at the story and moti- have the vitality and adrenaline might have been a little miffed. I vations and the rhythm of the of performers, and that’s what remember seeing my film Next in a piece. gives me a buzz. program as having been directed by a certain Nick Park. May 15th I also went to a memorial The animators that I trained A thought: if G and S are service for Simon Jeffes, the man and Sue were taken out for a performing as if in a seedy vaude- behind the most uplifting and joy- sunny lunch by Cosgrove Hall. ville, to whom are they perform- ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 30 ing? Do I let them look at the cam- be a lot of difficult and time-con- not there, but because things are era, or just some focal point off suming work to get this to not getting done. It terrifies me screen? If I show some footlights, bounce, but I’ll use it sparingly and that we are so near shooting and does this make it all too literal? effectively. the basic financial groundwork of A glorious heatwave has this film is a mess. made concentrating rather diffi- May 19th cult. What a shame we can never Headed off to south of May 23rd animate outside. Barcelona, to lie on a beach for a A day of the old and the I’ve been at a bit of a loss week, reading and absorbing the new. I visited a marvelously pre- today. Timing the music and script—that is the intention any- served Roman Amphitheatre. I’m barsheets is my next big slog, but I way. very partial to theatre buildings of don’t get the music for a while. I any kind. Interestingly, here in Tar- tried to break down the shots into May 20th ragona, they’d built a church in a daily schedule, and totally fright- These are not the sunny the arena to atone for the early ened myself. I don’t know how I Spanish shores that Gilbert had in bloodthirsty days. Then to Port can do 12-14 seconds of all mind when he wrote The Gondo- Adventura—a theme park based singing and all dancing each day. liers. He would have been so hor- on Polynesia, the Wild West, Mexi- All three puppets are in nearly rified at the amount of flesh on dis- co, the Mediterranean and China, every shot. There is very little time play. I gather he was furious if too and done with much taste and allowed for costume changes or much of a lady’s legs were shown loving detail. Little details seemed relighting. The only way I’ll get this on stage. He strove for innocent so bizarre that they had to be footage is if no one slows me merriment the whole time, so I authentic. Happily the performers down, and if I do my homework. can only imagine that the three were of the appropriate nationali- My crew must be in the same gear men in drag in Princess Ida must ty. The rides incorporated the as myself. have slipped through on a bad country’s theme with real wit and day. respect. One ride was the Dragon What I really hope to produce Khan—well Barry Kahn’t. The is a piece that bursts with May 21st whole atmosphere was just right infectious energy and real joy. My mind is totally neutral and there was no fear of being with G & S lurking but not intrud- assaulted by a six-foot rodent ing. Someone at the hotel hap- wearing white gloves! A very May 18th pened to be singing a song from sophisticated park and a treat. Glorious sunshine all week- Ruddigore, which pleased me to end has seen us all coming in no end. He was British but even Music is so important in my rather pink but cheerful. Also, I so. I’ve been carrying the script work and today has been quite went to a ceilidh on Saturday and around as a prop, to give me a thrilling. jigged fit to drop. I think the purpose. I’m not that good at adrenaline is still going as I was being totally idle, or succumbing like a whirlwind today, charging to relaxation. I’m always usually on May 24th through a meeting with the VAT the outside of a group of revelers, We record the music a [tax] people, a production meet- unable to join in—a bit pathetic week today and I’ve never even ing and various other meetings. It’s really. looked forward to anything so either the adrenaline, or I’m start- much. It is a thrill for me to work ing to get excited and apprehen- May 22nd with such performers and I feel at sive about the film. At the produc- Walked about 18 miles in home with this passion and activi- tion meeting, Nick produced a lot blistering heat and didn’t get to ty. Sadly, I don’t always find that of final artwork and Richard has see the script at all. Now I’m passion in the animation circles. several nearly finished props. We racked with guilt and panic. Whilst On the whole, and this is awful for are going to get there. One of the I’m at this remove, everything me to say, animators don’t have animation students is currently appears to be frighteningly disor- the vitality and adrenaline of per- testing the bouncing bed. It will ganized. I don’t mean because I’m formers, and that’s what gives me ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 31 a buzz. To direct the singers and words. record our 15-minute soundtrack discuss the music score is a plea- may sound a lot, but it is certainly sure indeed. May 29th not. A lot of decisions have to be I’m ready to go home now. A relief, or an escape, to be made so quickly, but Wyn and I I’m worried about things. thinking of work today. It saddens were firing on every cylinder and me so much that Pa won’t see the more. The singers gave me so May 25th film, for which, of all the films of much character, and what a joy to Met two pub landladies on mine, he had so much enthusi- see them in action, as good as a week away, and whilst they asm. G and S has always played a performing their roles. The orches- were not particularly G and S part of our family life ever since I tra produced amazing colors. The lovers, we did manage a very spir- was very young. Ma was often orchestrations are a cross between ited trio from Pinafore, on the going to see friends in amateur Kurt Weill, Kander and Ebb, and beach. Ah, the English on holi- productions, and Pa talks of taking the RSC’s Nicholas Nickleby - very day... numerous girlfriends to the D’Oyly energetic and rich. The horn and Carte. Both at school and Universi- the banjo will be the stars, though May 27th ty, I was constantly involved in var- I think Gilbert loathed the banjo, Back in the office and a mil- ious productions. It is only Aman- judging from putting ‘banjo sere- lion things to catch up with. First da, my sister, that remains naders’ on Ko-Ko’s Little List in The thing was to get up to speed untouched by my passion for Mikado (though actually this term again. A lot of props have opera. has crept in over the years, taking appeared since I’ve been away over from something very racially and they look tremendous. I’m a Four hours to record our 15- dubious indeed). We’ve only done little worried that we haven’t got minute soundtrack may sound a rough mix, but we are all excited the cross hatching effect totally a lot, but it is certainly not. at the soundtrack. A lot of work right yet. A long bubbly talk with from Wyn and I and a great deal Clare Kitson from Channel Four. Now the music will have of other people have produced She is about to do a writing some very painful subtext. A last something satisfyingly substantial, course, and is worried about hav- study of the score before Sunday’s accessible, and true to G and S. It’s ing to come up with ideas in front recording. I cannot wait to hear funny to think Wyn and I sat of other people. Publicly exposing the orchestrations. Hopefully, I will round his piano nearly a year ago, one’s creativity is never easy. I be able to get a lot of character wondering where do we begin! think, after animating for 20 years, and detail out of the performers, Read Barry’s previous diary that I can get puppets to do what as well as right notes. We really in last month’s issue of Animation I want, but is what they do the don’t have much time during the World Magazine. right thing? That’s the difficult bit. recording. Four hours for 15 min- Still, the most painful moment for utes of music from scratch is quite me on any film, is showing the a tall order. What I really hope to Barry Purves is a Manchester- rushes to other people. I’d like to produce is a piece that bursts with based filmmaker. Through his watch them in private, alone. infectious energy and real joy. production company, Bare Guess what? We still Looking in the evening paper Boards Productions, he has haven’t got a title for this film. G & nearly every National Trust proper- directed several stop-motion ani- S—The Long and Short of It has ty seems to be having summer G mated films and commercials, been rejected as ‘G and S,’ appar- and S concerts and galas. These including Next, Screen Play, Rigo- ently, sounds too elitist. It sounded operas will never die. letto and Achilles. colloquial to me. We may well get back to Here’s a How de do which May 31st Note: Readers may contact any would be too ironic. I know of nothing as excit- Animation World Magazine con- ing as working with singers and tributor by sending an e-mail to May 28th an orchestra. Music is so important [email protected]. My father died during the in my work and today has been night—pain deprives me of any quite thrilling. Four hours to ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 32 ASIFA’s Next Step: A Continuation of the History of ASIFA’s Patronage of Festivals

by Michel Ocelot June 1998: publish the texts defining these from ASIFA sanctioned festivals, and its Following lengthy discus- new arrangements by September, director, in a personal letter to me, sions through all kinds of corre- 1998. strongly reproached me for my discre- spondence, the ASIFA Board of tion on the matter. Adapting to this, I Directors held working meetings A Word on the Ottawa Festival will now make these changes public. Ottawa Ô98 is not an officially in Zagreb and reached the follow- In June 1997, ASIFA was informed that the Ottawa director, staff ASIFA-sanctioned festival. The festival ing decisions: must be reminded that patronage was After 20 years of varying never imposed on festivals in any way. degrees of success, ASIFA has Instead it was to be requested each now decided to replace the time by the concerned festival system of Festival PATRON- organizers from the ASIFA Sec- AGE. The new structure, retary General. There is no such tentatively called PARTNER- thing as ÔASIFA International.Õ SHIP, is open to any worth- There is just one ASIFA, with while festival, including non- built-in internationalism. As far as I specialized ones. know, ASIFA members will go on help- ing with the Canadian festival as before, Partnership introduces reg- and advisory board had decided to seeing things in perspective. ular input from the filmmakers maintain their relationship with ASIFA themselves via forms they are invit- for the next festival and requested the There is no such thing as ed to fill out at a festival’s close. approval of their regulations. Since they ‘ASIFA International.’ There is These opinions, together with were the standard approved ASIFA rec- just one ASIFA, with built-in additional information supplied by ommended rules, patronage was readily internationalism. festival directors, will form the granted. basis of new RATINGS for festivals. In April 1998, there was a One last note: In a recent ASIFA change of mind. The Ottawa director News issue somebody added Ottawa to After 20 years of varying officially informed me he was not satis- the list of ASIFA-patronized festivals, degrees of success,ASIFA has fied with ASIFA and that his festival thinking it was an oversight. I apolo- gize. Such things happen. The Annecy now decided to replace the was withdrawing from being an ASIFA- sanctioned festival. In a separate person- festival, to which we unquestionably system of Festival al message he stressed that he had no expressed our disapproval on the way PATRONAGE. intention of going public and was not they conducted their annualization, going to issue press releases or printed on the first mailing of their rules Festival regulations will not announcements on the Ottawa web site. and regulations that they were under lose their use, but they will instead ASIFA patronage, a message that was serve more as GUIDELINES, which Festival regulations will not sent to 26,500 addresses. are less restrictive than the old reg- lose their use, but they will ulations and more adaptable to instead serve more as the particular needs of both film- GUIDELINES... Michel Ocelot is president of the makers and festivals. International Animated Film Asso- The official recognition let- In my previous article, ASIFA ciation (ASIFA). And Festivals: A Changing Relationship ters will remain one of the instru- (June 1998 issue), I refrained from nam- ments of ASIFA when they prove ing Ottawa, even if I spoke of festivals Note: Readers may contact any useful to festivals. not feeling the need to request ASIFA Animation World Magazine con- The ASIFA Board of Direc- patronage anymore. A little later, Ottawa tributor by sending an e-mail to tors will endeavor to establish and issued press releases on its withdrawal [email protected]. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 33 Vilppu Drawing Online: Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu his is the second Lesson 2: Spherical have a plan of attack or approach; in a series of arti- Forms second, you need the knowledge Tcles on drawing Now that you’ve to put that plan into affect; and for animation. In these “mapped out” the third, you must have the tenacity articles I will be pre- action of the pose, the to carry it through to completion.” senting the theory and next step in the process practice of drawing as is to define your figure You have to put in the time a “how to” instructional in 3-D space. Learning and effort to do the learning. series. The lessons are to see your subject in based upon the Vilppu terms of simple shapes These first lessons are the A Glenn Vilppu.All draw- Drawing Manual and ings in this article are by and forms along with most critical and are the most will in general follow and © Glenn Vilppu. values is one of the deceptively simple in appearance. the basic plan outlined basic elements in learn- Through experience, I have found in the manual. This is the same ing to draw. I refer to this ability to them to be the most difficult for material that I base my seminars see and use basic forms as visual the student because of this appar- and lectures on at the American tools. These visual tools, like any ent simplicity. Everything depends Animation Institute, UCLA, and my tool, help you to accomplish cer- on your putting the time and lectures at Disney, Warner Bros. tain tasks. Without the right tools, effort into these initial lessons. Les- and other major studios in the ani- doing anything becomes much son one was a good example of more difficult. This what seems to be simple but is course is designed, something that in reality is only step by step, to give truly mastered after a lifetime of you those tools and effort. basic skills in using them. However, the Let’s Get Drawing! design of a course Start by drawing a series of does not guarantee that you will learn those skills auto- mation industry both in the U.S. matically. You have to put and in their affiliates overseas. in the time and effort to Each lesson will also have short do the learning. To do Quicktime clips of me demonstrat- anything successfully you ing the material discussed. If you must apply three basic have not seen the previous lesson elements: first, you must in the June 1998 issue of Anima- have a plan of attack or tion World Magazine, it is recom- approach; second, you mended that you do. The lessons need the knowledge to are progressive and expand on put that plan into affect, basic ideas. It is suggested that and third, you must have you start from the beginning for a the tenacity to carry it better understanding of my through to completion. approach. “First, you must ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 34 spheres on create a twist. Still, your paper: just making forms first, singularly, overlap in itself will and then, in not ensure that the pairs, overlap- drawing will exhibit ping and this sense of form. changing in The most ele- size in relation mental skill is the to each other ability to sense these (See Illustration basic volumes on the flat No. 1). Com- paper as if they were actu- bining two ally existing, being creat- spheres as one ed by you as you move complete form your pencil over and but still having, around their surfaces and clearly, two through the magic space parts gives the of the paper. Some people form a sense of have a natural affinity for life (See Illustra- doing this and others tion No. 2). have to work hard and experience as volume in a draw- Have your form walk, bend over, long to achieve it. ing. Illustrations No. 1 & 3 demon- be curious, meet other forms like strate overlapping, the most basic it, and create relationships. In way to create a sense of form exist- short, bring it to life. The most elemental skill is the ing in space. Illustration No. 2 also Through all this, you must ability to sense these basic vol- uses overlapping but in this case maintain the sense of volume. umes on the flat paper as if the forms are connected and the What is a sense of volume? The they were actually existing. overlapping does not completely use of the term “volume” in draw- separate the parts. In Illustration ing generally means three dimen- Keep Practicing... No. 4 “A,” “B,” and “C,” you can sional. Having a “sense of volume” Drawing should be an see how important it becomes to in a drawing is to give it this three everyday part of what you do. decide carefully which lines over- dimensional quality. There are Look at other artists of the past lap. In Illustration 4: “A,” the forms many different ways of creating and see where you can find appli- go away from us; in “B,” they this three dimensionality that we cations of these lessons. The draw- come forward; and in “C,” they ings on this page and the follow- ing are examples of ways that you can use spherical forms. The important thing is that you prac- tice drawing them. Don’t feel pres- sured into feeling that you have to do fancy detailed drawings. Being loose and feeling the roundness is the important thing at this stage of your development. Create charac- ters out of your imagination, draw familiar things around you, apply- ing the various lessons to what you draw. Copying or drawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction with drawing from

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 35 Note: The on-line version of this article includes three Quick- time movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppu demon- strating drawing techniques that every animator should know! http://www.awn.com/mag/issue 3.5/3.5pages/3.5villpu.html

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appear- ance.

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue, “Never Underes- timate the Power of Life Drawing.” His drawing manuals and video tapes may now be purchased in the Animation World Store.

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Anima- tion Institute, the Masters pro- gram of the UCLA Animation Dept., Walt Disney Feature Ani- mation and Warner Bros. Feature Animation, and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan, Canada and the Philip- pines. Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layout, storyboard and presentation artist. His drawing manual and video tapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animation students. observation and creating from hesitate to go back to the previous your imagination. lesson. Each individual is different Each lesson will build upon and there is no set length of time Note: Readers may contact any the previous one, so spend the that it should take to acquire the Animation World Magazine con- time on each one and don’t rush material in these lessons. Most tributor by sending an e-mail to to the next until you feel comfort- importantly, have fun with your [email protected]. able with the current one. Don’t drawing!

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 36 CARDIFF: A DIFFICULT YEAR TO BE ANY FESTIVAL by Heather Kenyon ane Williams had a difficult Jline to tread while leading this year’s Vital! Inter- national Anima- tion Festival in Cardiff from June 22-28, 1998, but in my opinion, she did a pretty good job. Balanc- ing the expectations of old and tion industry beginning to at remarks like, “We are seeking new attendees, those wanting a come back to this stratosphere. As good projects, presented well,” small, art festival “like the old days” a result the large name players most found the sessions very help- and those wanting a festival like were either not present or very ful and frantically scribbled notes. two years ago, is a hard task and low-key, with evidently lower bud- These sessions were packed. “We it’s tough to find a middle ground gets and aspirations. Meanwhile, only planned to have 50 but in a year when the big industry Cardiff is a festival of students, ended up with 150!” was heard by sponsors are not recruiting. Espe- who are hungry for more almost every organizing group. cially when every other country advanced training and jobs. The The success of these events really on the map is holding a festival festival organizers, however, did a set the tone at Cardiff. Cardiff’s this year. There is no denying she great job of bridging this gap by niche is one of educational panels had a challenging job. creating “Commissioning Brunch- and discussions, which is suiting es” and “Careers and Crumpets,” a since the festival boasts wall-to- new feature that fit everyone’s wall students, with most industry It is a must to note that one of needs. For an hour and a half, professionals dodging between the reasons why Cardiff was a sponsoring companies hosted a Cardiff and London. successful event was because presentation in a large room and “Commissioning Brunches” of these seminars. served either lunch or tea. Com- and “Careers and Crumpets,” were panies like Granada Animation, held at the Cardiff International A Chance to Meet the Buyers Cartoon Network, Passion Pic- Arena (CIA), home to almost all of The previous Cardiff Inter- tures, Aardman Animations and the panels, presentations and dis- national Animation Festival took Nickelodeon could reach the peo- cussion groups, as well as the place during the big studio recruit- ple that were most interested in Expo. The Expo was sparse and ing craze of 1996 when despera- them without dedicating numer- both attendees and participants tion for talent was running high. ous staff members to a costly seemed disappointed. The floor As a result, big companies with booth for the entire week. Plus, could be covered in a matter of massive booths moved in and students and producers could minutes. Exhibitors did say, that took over. Grumbling complaints meet the key personnel of these while they were disappointed by from the old-timers were heard, companies and hear exactly what the small amount of traffic, they but never before had the likes of they wanted when looking for did know they were targeting Disney and Warner Bros. partici- new projects, while getting some strictly animation people. Some of pated so heavily. Well, 1998 is a great snacks in the process! While the standout exhibitors were: BBC very different year with the anima- some experienced players scoffed Worldwide, Cartoon, Nick- ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 37 elodeon, Granada Animation, and each workshop a host of puppet and armature focused on a dif- creators including John Wright ferent technical Modelmaking, The Puppet Factory aspect of the and Elm Road Film Productions. All tools used in of the booths this year were very new media pro- modest and small. Indeed, some duction. Frankly, were virtually unmanned for the they needed a entire festival. Did anyone see any- larger room for body at the BBC booth? All I saw these seminars. was a loop of those creepy Tele- A tiny, little tubbies. Sony Imageworks had a cubby hole in small booth at the Expo and a the CIA did not room upstairs where Barry Weiss, do these sessions Vice President of Animation, inter- justice. By the viewed possible hires for their new end of the week feature Stuart Little, which stars an some were regu- Left to right:Animator Kevin Baldwin of Bob Godfrey Films, intrepid white mouse. lars only attend- Heather Kenyon, James Hickey of TerraGlyph Productions and ing these classes, Deborah Fallows of Nelvana. Photo © AWN. Panels and Training Were Key and the room under the festival staff’s watchful The Vitals, Vital(it)y and was in great disarray with tables eye, kept the seminars and regis- Digital Dimensions were three sep- and chairs strewn in an uneven tration areas in smooth working arately focused groupings of panel semi-circle around the speaker’s order. Sessions started on time and discussions and training seminars. podium. This was a well-used ended on time as a tight ship was All, again, were a tremendous suc- room! kept and downright order cess as they highlighted hands-on The Vitals were another set reigned. It is a must to note that learning and discussion. Digital of panel discussions that boasted one of the reasons why Cardiff Dimensions was organized by Carl such sponsors as Aardman Anima- was a successful event was Franklin, the technology corre- tions, the BBC Bristol Animation because of these seminars. While spondent for the U.K.’s Sunday Unit and the U.K.’s Channel Four. students play a key role at Cardiff Business, and focused on anima- These discussions focused more and these are the types of events tion using computers and new on matters of business and train- they need and enjoy, there really media techniques. From “Starting ing. The festival held a series of was something for everyone. It Out in Computer Animation” to a ambitious script writing seminars was great to see industry profes- “Softimage Masterclass,” I don’t and discussions. One, sponsored sionals in the middle of the stu- think there was a miss among by The BBC Bristol Animation Unit, dent sea, learning right along side these presentations. One especial- was especially effective as writers of them. ly fascinating demonstration was had BBC editors perform script given by Jackie Cockle and Paul surgery on their scripts. It was Screenings for Everyone Couvela from Hot Animation who refreshing, and unusual, to see an Another key location was stop-motion animated characters animation festival dedicate so of course St. David’s Hall, home of from Brambly Hedge right before much time to screenwriting. Car- the screenings, some of the afore- the audience’s eyes. toon UK sponsored a series of four mentioned workshops and pan- lectures focused on legal rights, With so many screenings in els, and smoke! Now, I know that production budgeting and the two locations it was difficult to living in Los Angeles, with all of current market place. Channel choose. our anti-smoking laws makes me Four’s Independents’ Forum was more sensitive, but even natives Vital(it)y centered on artists party to many a lively debate on were complaining about the air telling their real-life tales of launch- the state of the industry. quality by the final night! In spite ing into producing new media. A bevy of volunteers from of the cloud, the lounge on the From CD-Roms to the Internet, the local schools and universities, top floor was the meeting and ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 38 greeting place to be. In fact, I think The opening night’s film present. Unfortunately, a clash of a lot of people stayed in the lobby was The Magic Sword: Quest for cultures happened as the audi- chatting with friends and gather- Camelot. I am sure this seemed ence wanted to see more of the ing around resident legend Bob like quite the treat when it was first giant’s productions and hear less Godfrey, rather than rushing into obtained by the festival. I wonder speeches. Many a disgruntled the screenings. A lot of the screen- how they feel about it now...Bill audience member left complain- ings at the Hall during the day Plympton’s I Married A Strange Per- ing of American arrogance! were rather sparsely attended, but son was, of course, packed with Clare Wilford’s “British Pro- the evening programs were quite fans. Plympton was present and grammes” were a treat, highlight- full. Screenings took place at St. his usual easy going self despite ing the best of the great nation’s David’s Hall and the Angel Hotel, what must have been close to two work. From adult programs to located directly across from Cardiff days of sleep deprivation due to crowd-pleasers to the new work of Castle, which was the coolest, traveling. Perfect Blue, by director independents, it was all covered. funkiest location by far. With so Satoshi Kon, is a groundbreaking The range in some programs was many screenings in two locations animated psychological thriller a bit shocking as one never knew it was difficult to choose. and puzzled everyone who stayed what was going to appear next. to view it at 10:00 p.m. on Satur- For instance, in the “Premiere “An Evening with Nickelodeon day night. “That did my head in,” Selection - World and U.K. Pre- and Klasky Csupo” was highly was the general consensus but no mieres” the audience was treated anticipated as they were the one said they didn’t enjoy it. to the touching and emotionally largest U.S. studio conglomer- Guests of the festival, like stirring Silence, by Orly Yadin and ate present. Cuppa Coffee Animation, Magnus Sylvie Bringas. This film was the Carlsson and Georges Lacroix, all best that I saw at the festival and In some programs it presented special programs. relates the story of a little girl who seemed that a lot of the films were Georges Lacroix showed a history was able to survive the Holocaust not new and many had been seen of Fantôme’s work and, after a few with the help of her grandmother before by those regular on the fes- financially shaky months, happily and by being silent. Finally, 50 tival circuit. Students enjoyed the presented their new productions. years later, Tara, our heroine, programs but were split between “An Evening with Nickelodeon breaks her silence and tells her the screenings and the lectures. and Klasky Csupo” was highly story. This triumph was in the However, the “Special Presenta- anticipated as they were the same program as two short tions” and thematic programs largest U.S. studio conglomerate episodes of Darren Walsh’s Angry brought back old favorites and cleverly packaged them with new and difficult-to-find pieces to cre- ate some delightful programs. “Handbags & Hairdos; The Anima- tor’s Guide to Camp, Queer and Kitsch” was such a program featur- ing gay and lesbian works. The absolute highlight for some was the festival salute to Oliver Post- gate and Peter Firmin. When one brave soul tentatively asked, “May I touch Bagpuss?” a roar went up from the crowd as everyone had been wondering the same. Soon a line wrapped around the St. David’s Hall stage as everyone wanted to get just a little bit closer The Expo featured modest booths in an intimate setting. Photo by Heather Kenyon. © to their childhood memory. AWN. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 39 Kid which proves that boys will always be boys and get funding for their gross, pointless films. The Angel Hotel was an oasis of interesting viewing where almost every screening was well attended. I could have stayed there all week with screenings of work by William Kentridge, Jerzy Kucia, the East German DEFA Stu- dio, Marv Newland’s favorite films, and crowd pleasing shows like Rex the Runt. In the CIA and Angel Hotel, the organizers were smart to underestimate rather than over- estimate the number of people that would be attending each The Channel Four Independents Forum. Left to right:Tom Bertino, Candy Guard, Carl event. As a result I only remember Franklin, Clare Wilford and Lucy Murphy. Photo by Gerben Schermer. © AWN. full rooms which leaves a lively, bash thrown by Nickelodeon and day or two, one really had to grab healthy impression. Klasky Csupo. While still the only them when one saw them.) Per- evening party of the event, the haps this is the benefit of having A Good Time For All main room was too hot, loud and so many animation festivals in a Despite the almost continu- smoky to be able to speak to any- year. Not everyone was there— al rain and clouds, the festival one and didn’t have the vitality some were too busy working, goers had a great time. I heard (sorry, I couldn’t resist) that the some didn’t want to make the trip, several times, “We didn’t get back same party had at Cardiff and others were just tired of festivals— until 5:30 a.m.!” However, as far as WAC two years ago. Still the stu- but frankly, it can be overwhelm- professionals went, the festival dents I saw were dancing the ing and frustrating to not be able really didn’t get going until Thurs- night away and seemed quite to see everyone who is present. I day and by Saturday afternoon pleased. think Cardiff, in the face of most people were beginning their Annecy’s announcement to go trek back to London. Based on my annual in the year of Zagreb, experience with Los Angeles’ Despite the almost continual Ottawa and Hiroshima, came out World Animation Celebration, rain and clouds, the festival okay. No, the world didn’t show placing this event in London goers had a great time. up, but there were still plenty of would not help attendance. Folks people to meet and things to see in L.A. tended to keep getting dis- All in all, as I climbed onto and learn anyway, in this impor- tracted by work during WAC and the train to Manchester for a tant world animation community. some were never able to venture delightful day visiting Barry Good job Jane. We’ll see out of the office for even an after- Purves, Cosgrove Hall and Mackin- what another two years brings us. noon. The cost of passes and the non and Saunders, I thought it lack of day passes were cited by had been a productive festival. some as being the reason for not Heather Kenyon is editor-in-chief While the contacts were not attending. of Animation World Magazine. chock-a-block and every film was Everyone had fun at the not new, I felt that I really got to various pubs and restaurants locat- spend time with and speak to the ed in central Cardiff, but the festi- Note: Readers may contact any people I met, and not just hurried- val was almost devoid of large par- Animation World Magazine con- ly exchange business cards. ties, another victim of the recruit- tributor by sending an e-mail to (Sometimes though since the pro- ing hiatus. The closing night party [email protected]. fessionals were only jetting in for a was the traditional day-glo paint ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 40 Zagreb Ô98: Better Than Ever!

by Gunnar Strøm n the 1980s, commercials felt a bit misplaced Zagreb was the because they were run in the mid- Idefinite meeting dle of the competition programs. I place for the anima- also find the competition pro- tion world, alternat- grams in Zagreb a bit too long, ing every second even though the festival wisely year with Annecy. has an intermission in the middle. The 1992 festival Maybe the problem is that they was held while the start a bit late, at 9 p.m., and war was still loom- therefore, do not finish before ing. Since then, 11:30 p.m. A great many of the every festival has directors in competition were pre- been bigger and Visitors gathered in the entrance hall as the festival began. sent in Zagreb and I was greatly better than the last, Photo courtesy of the Zagreb World Festival of Animated impressed by the list of guests; Films. and with this 13th 130 international professionals World Festival of Animated Films, the selection committee, with one from nearly 30 countries made this the Zagreb festival is back where it program being chosen by the fes- year’s festival a real international belongs. tival. The selection in Zagreb has a event. Major animation names like tradition for being more open Andrej Krjanovsky (Russia), Gian- The Films of Course toward experimental films than nalberto Bendazzi (Italy), Joan As usual the film selection Annecy, and this year’s festival was Gratz (USA) and Noureddin in Zagreb reflected the entire no exception. Detelina Grigorova- Zarrinkelk (Iran) illustrate this inter- range of world animation with a Kreck (Bulgaria/Germany), John R. national scene. This year’s jury was main focus on artistic film. Films Dilworth (U.S.) and Vedran Mihlet- Natalia Chernyshova (Ukraine), from more than 30 countries were ic (Croatia) chose both a demand- Sayoko Kinoshita (Japan), Peter screened in the three main pro- ing, inspiring and entertaining Dougherty (U.K.), Raoul Servais grams of the festival: the official program. (Belgium) and Milan Blazekovic competition, the student competi- The weakest part of the (Croatia). tion and “Animania,” five panora- selection was the advertising films. ma programs partially chosen by The winning film Special Selec- tions: Campbell’s Soup by Aleksan- The selection in Zagreb has a dra Korejwo tradition for being more open (U.S., Poland) is toward experimental films an excellent than Annecy, and this year’s commercial, but festival was no exception. my impression of the commer- Special Screenings and High- cials in competi- lights tion was that A special focus this year many of the was put on Italian animation. best animated Bruno Bozzetto was awarded the commercials very prestigious “Life Achievement from the last Award.” Other retrospectives pre- two years had The festival directors Margit Antauer and Josko Marusic and sented the films of Renzo Kinoshi- their crew. Photo courtesy of the Zagreb World Festival of Ani- not been ta, Vadim Kurchewski and Zlatko mated Films. entered. The ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 41 fine art made by an tute in Great Britain for Advice for animator. The con- Hamsters. Best Student Film in the nections between main competition was One Eye by the fine art and Liana Dognini from the UK’s images from the National Film and Television film Divertemento School. This film also got a special No.2 were especial- mention from the youth jury. ly striking. A lot of stu- dent films were pre- Zagreb has always been among sented in Zagreb the friendliest of the interna- this year. In addi- tional animation events, and tion to those in the this year was no exception. main competition, the festival decided The Standouts Bruno Bozzetto receiving the Life Achievement Award from to have an extra As for the prizes, the big the Croatian filmmaker Pavao Stalter. Photo courtesy of the Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films. student competi- winners this year were the Russian tion because of the animators. Moscow’s SHAR School Grgic. For the first time a retro- high number of interesting entries studio was already awarded by spective of Austrian animation in this category. The student films the Selection Committee Best Pro- (1920-1970) was presented by were awarded by a separate jury ducer among those entering films Thomas Renolder who has done consisting of 101 young people for the festival. Grand Prix went to an impressive amount of research from Zagreb chosen by the radio Alexander Petrov for The Mermaid on the films. Renoldner also pre- station 101, and were screened in and “The Zlatko Grgic Prize” for sented a short program of films the main theater in the Lisinsky Best First Film was shared by The under the title, “Cain and Abel,” Hall in a very proper and formal Major’s Nose by Mikhail Lisovoj which showcased films that pro- way. This was a very successful and Pink Doll by Valentin Olsh- mote tolerance, acceptance and addition to the festival and I do vang. The first film is a new version peace. hope it will be continued next of the Gogol short story, and the time. The main prize in the student second is a striking fantasy of a lit- Personally, I thought some of competition went to Dennis Sister- tle girl who gets a very expensive the most interesting films son from the Southampton Insti- and threatening doll from her were missing on the prize win- ners list.

British experimental anima- tor Clive Walley won a prize at Zagreb ‘96 that granted him the opportunity to present an exhibi- tion of paintings at this year’s festi- val. So, the Welsh multi-plane ani- mator replaced his film camera with a still camera. The resulting images had been scanned into a computer, blown up and trans- ferred to paper in a most effective way. On the wall, these images gave a most impressive look, and accompanied by his films on Cheers! The Zagreb ‘98 International Jury, left to right: Sayoko Kinoshita (Japan), Raoul video, made a striking example of Servais (Belgium), Natalia Chernishova (Ukraine), Peter Dougherty (U.K.), and Milan Blazekovic (Croatia). Photo courtesy of the Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films. ANIMATION WORLD August 1998 42 Silence by Orly integrated with the guests. Not Yadin and Sylvie only is the staff everywhere and Bringas was always willing to help, but they another favorite also become participants of the of mine. The festival. For those who took the strong story time to visit Zagreb and not just about little Tana watch films, it stood out as a very that survived beautiful town. A few years ago the Holocaust Zagreb celebrated its 900th but kept her anniversary and a lot of money story to herself and energy were put into making for 50 years, the city attractive. Zagreb really is made a very stunning, especially the old town. strong impres- Plus, the city is full of life. More Filmmakers from all over the world enjoyed the relaxed atmos- sion on the than 30,000 students make sure phere of the festival picnic. Photo courtesy of the Zagreb World audience. The that there are a lot of people on Festival of Animated Films. narration is the streets. Furthermore, the mother’s lover. read by Tana atmosphere is truly friendly. This As usual the British anima- herself, and the film stands out as serves as the perfect environment tors were well-represented on the an animated film that has a strong for the excellent Zagreb animation prize list. Category prizes went to message to tell without being festival. I highly recommend this Flatworld by Daniel Greaves (15- didactic. I would also have liked to animation event, even though I 30 minutes) and The Albatross by see Phil Mulloy’s The Wind of hope it will not grow too much. Paul Bush (6-15 minutes). Flat- Changes on the list of prize win- This year’s festival was a perfect world also won the Public Prize. ners. To me, with this film Mulloy size and made us all feel a part of The category prize for the shortest has brought more depth to his the same happening. films went to the charming Sientje filmic universe than in his earlier Thank you very much Josco by Christa Moesker (The Nether- films. and Buba. We will be back in lands). The film depicts a little girl 2000. who is really upset after a quarrel Another Draw: The People and with her parents. To w n However the strong films in I highly recommend this ani- competition were not the only Gunnar Strøm is associate profes- mation event, even though I impressive aspects of this year’s sor at Volda College in Norway, hope it will not grow too Zagreb festival. Zagreb has always where he is head of the anima- much. been among the friendliest of the tion department. He has pub- international animation events, lished a number of books on ani- Personally, I thought some and this year was no exception. mation and music videos. He is of the most interesting films were The biannual picnic was as suc- also president of ASIFA Norway, missing on the prize winners list. cessful as ever. If you don’t make and a board member and former The opening film of the festival, new friends at the Zagreb picnic, secretary general of ASIFA Inter- Andrej Krjanovsky’s The Long Jour- you should have stayed home. national. ney, is a really fascinating docu- The Italians sponsored the open- mentary based on the drawings of ing party, and at the excellent Federico Fellini. The script is writ- farewell party Nicole Salomon and ten by Fellini’s scriptwriter Tonino Monique Renault, together with Note: Readers may contact any Guerra who also performs the ASIFA President Michel Ocelot, said Animation World Magazine con- voice-over and acts in the film. The a speech and offered cake to all tributor by sending an e-mail to film resembles Krjanovsky’s earlier the festival organizers. It’s a won- [email protected]. films on the Estonian painter derful peculiarity of the Zagreb fes- Soostar. The British/Swedish film tival that the festival staff are so ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 43 Singapore Animation Fiesta Ô98 by Mark Langer settled back into Bros. animation my seat on the presented by Iflight to Singa- Kathleen Help- pore, happily antic- pie-Shipley, ipating the second senior vice presi- Animation Fiesta. dent of Warner The previous Fiesta Bros. Classic Ani- was the first inter- mation. Helppie- national animation Shipley talked festival to be held about the impact in South East Asia. of television, Singapore is a video, CD-Rom, movie town, and cable, theme the event had parks, etc. on been a success, Warner Bros. ani- with enthusiastic mation since the audiences. But films were first with the dramatic Jubilee Hall. Photo by Mark Langer. broadcast on downturn in Asian pletely sold out, with the restored television, economies, would this year match turn-of-the-century Jubilee Hall accompanied by examples of up to the high expectations creat- venue in the historic Raffles Hotel Warner animation from early the- ed by the last festival? filled to the rafters with locals and atrical cartoons to recent commer- The Singapore economy animation professionals from cials and other productions. Help- might be languishing, but you’d around the world. As many as five pie-Shipley ended her presenta- never know it from attending Fies- programs a day were presented at tion with samples of other anima- ta ‘98. Most shows were com- this three-day event, although tion divisions’ work, such as the only a few of the Feature Animation and the Televi- highlights will be dis- sion Animation divisions. cussed here. As many as five programs a Screenings and day were presented at this Lectures three day event... The Animation Fies- ta is distinguished Later that day, a new ani- from most animation mated series, Kampung Boy was festivals in its policy shown. Kampung Boy is based on of accompanying the work of Dato’ Mohd Nor almost all screenings Khalid, who is better known as with lectures, giving Lat. For over 30 years, Lat’s comic programs more sub- books and cartoons have been stance and context wildly popular in Malaysia, Singa- than the norm. The pore and elsewhere in South East festival began on Fri- Asia. I began to catch on to the day, June 19 with a fact that this might not be a com- Kampung Boy. Image courtesy of Matinee Entertainment. program of Warner pletely Malaysian project when I ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 44 noticed producer Frank Saperstein such topics as the value and dig- and animator John R. Dilworth’s nity of women. Mohan was also names in the end credits. Kam- co-director (with Roichi Sasaki) of pung Boy is a co-production using the Indo-Japanese feature film talent from several countries, Ramayana - The Legend Of including the United States, which Rama. In his talk, Mohan has had some effect on the series. acknowledged that animation is One audience member wondered one of the most competitive why the Malay family depicted in industries in the world, but cau- Kampung Boy seemed so much tioned Asian filmmakers about like The Simpsons. According to forsaking their cultural roots in Saperstein, distribution in the U.S. the rush to international mar- market is encountering difficulty kets. He called for the establish- for reasons of culture as objections ment of indigenous animation have been made to the use of tra- industries taking advantage of ditional Malay costume and “rich cultural traditions with locales. This is unfortunate, as many stories to tell” and referred Kampung Boy easily rivals any- to his Ramayana as an example thing shown on American televi- of how Asian countries can co- Ram Mohan. Photo by Mark Langer. sion and would be a welcome operate with one another in this alternative to most TV fare. respect. Mohan’s talk was followed history, starting with the begin- by samples of animation from Sin- ning of animated television series The Animation Fiesta is distin- gapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and the shift from imitating what guished from most animation and South Korea, showing the he called the “Disney style” to the festivals in its policy of accom- diversity of production done in the manga style of expression. Accord- panying almost all screenings region. ing to Ikuhara, manga has created with lectures... a unique animation culture in Cultural problems were the Day Two Dawns Japan, with its own expressive tra- subject of comments made in a The next day began with ditions. This was demonstrated later session on Asian animation director Kunihiko Ikuhara present- during a Japanese/American co- by Ram Mohan, the “father of Indi- ing a program of his work on production about ten years ago, an animation.” Mohan’s career Sailor Moon and La Fillette Revolu- where there was a difference over goes back to the late 1950s with tionnaire, Utena. Ikuhara gave an a shot lasting about five seconds. the Cartoon Film Unit, Govern- overview of Japanese animation The Japanese staff wanted the ment of India Film only movement to Division, where he be the character’s received training mouth, while the from Disney anima- Americans wanted tor Clair H. Weeks. physical gestures. Mohan’s major Ikuhara claims that interest in anima- American animation tion is as a tool for is always intent on social development. generating greater His films done for audience appeal international agen- and thus, creates cies, often in co-pro- characters in con- duction with other stant motion, countries such as accenting the fan- Bangladesh, Pak- tastic and differenti- istan and the Philip- Left to right: Frank Saperstein, Kathleen Helppie-Shipley and Karen Goulekas ating animation pines, deal with at the Singapore Animation Fiesta. Photo by Mark Langer. from live-action cine- ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 45 who most recently festival and spoke about current supervised Visual developments in computer anima- Effects for Godzilla. tion internationally. Ricky Orellana, Goulekas, tanned of the Mowelfund Film Institute, and rested from a presented a fascinating look at month-long vaca- Philippine animation, revealing an tion in Thailand after active independent scene in a finishing Godzilla, country better known as an inex- spoke of the difficul- pensive labour outsource for ties resulting from American television production. coordinating the The final presentation was by The author, Mark Langer, on the left, with Jean-Michel efforts of different David Flack, vice president of Cre- Blottiere. Photo courtesy of Mark Langer. production teams ative Services of MTV Asia, who ma. The Japanese are influenced (animation, CG and showed highlights of international by manga, where a character is effects, lighting and rendering, production from MTV’s local Singa- shown in a still image while the compositing) and using incompat- pore service. reader reads the dialogue. Ikuhara ible software programs to create These presentations were then went on to discuss his work the effects on the film. The high- punctuated with other screenings on Sailor Moon and Utena, which light of her presentation was a throughout the Fiesta. The most differs from traditional “girl series” detailed account of the Brooklyn notable was a hysterically funny in that fighting, rather than Bridge sequence, which Goulekas program done for the U.K.’s Chan- romance, is the central premise. characterized as “the sequence nel 4 called Gogs, depicting the Ikuhara also outlined the impor- where we pushed the envelope.” imbecilic antics of a Stone Age tance of merchandising to Japan- The goal of the special effects ani- family in stop-motion clay. ese animated series, where story mator, said Goulekas, “is to seam- As at the last Fiesta, extra- lines are devised to introduce new lessly mix models, live-action and ordinary hospitality was shown by products, such as the best-selling CG.” What lies in the future of the organizing staff (including Sailor Moon pendants, modeled computer animation? Said Wahidah Jalil, Ben Cowell and after those in the series used by Goulekas, somewhat tongue in Ernest Paul) to guests, with fre- the characters to transform them- cheek, “Photo-real humans—you’ll quent breaks for tea at the Empire selves. The high demand for such scare the shit out of all the actors!” Room, receptions, and an intimate series has created a shortage of atmosphere that encouraged schmoozing. This, combined with properly trained workers in some The high demand for such the wonderful Singapore audi- job skill areas, such as the use of series has created a shortage ences who stayed to talk with digital technology, as over sixty of properly trained guests after each screening, has locally produced animated series workers...as over sixty locally made the Fiesta a favorite among are screened in Japan each week. produced animated series are festivals, and well worth the effort Next, I introduced a pro- screened in Japan each week. gram of recent animation from to attend. Canada, ranging from films and Mark Langer teaches film at Car- Our Final Day ads from Dynomight Cartoons leton University in Ottawa Cana- The final day of the festival and Cuppa Coffee Animation, to da. He is a frequent contributor began with a combined program high-end computer generated to scholarly journals and a pro- by Jayne Pilling, who discussed productions from Mainframe grammer of animation retrospec- European avant-garde in terms of Entertainment, Nelvana and tives. Alias/Wavefront. This was fol- how the films differ from main- lowed by a discussion of local Sin- stream animation, and Jean- Note: Readers may contact any gapore animation, and then a pre- Michel Blottiere, the director of Animation World Magazine con- sentation by Karen Goulekas, for- Imagina, who presented the most tributor by sending an e-mail to mer Digital Domain employee recent winners from this European [email protected]. computer graphics and animation ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 46 Members of the Fastest Growing Industry Meet Up in the Big Apple: The Return of the Licensing Show!

by Deborah Reber Licensing, the Fastest Growing Industry Neither smarmy humidity and taxi cab strikes, nor the tourist- ridden streets of midtown could keep the members of the licensing industry from descending on New York City for three short days last month. This year, nearly 400 exhibitors took out real estate in Gotham’s mammoth Jacob K. Jav- its Convention Center to promote their properties and licensing/mer- chandising programs for the upcoming year. The 18th annual Licensing International, held from Nickelodeon’s booth attracted crowds with displays of Blue’s Clues and its new cartoon, June 9-11, is the only global event CatDog. Photo courtesy of Freeman Public Relations. of its kind. gories, but what makes it magic is mation industry (that is, at least when the right partnership puts it news that was broken during the The 18th annual Licensing all together. That’s what this show event), a number of animation stu- International...is the only glob- is all about.” According to LIMA, dios were in attendance, including al event of its kind. this year’s show marked an overall Cinar Films, Cochran Animation, increase in attendance and DIC Entertainment, Funimation The licensing industry is exhibitor participation over last Productions, The Jim Henson growing at an incredible rate, year. Company, Nelvana, and Saban. now producing $25.6 million Entertainment is the most Also sporting their typically large worth of sales every hour, 12 lucrative of all the licensing cate- display booths were the Cartoon hours a day, 365 days a year! No gories (others include sports, and Network, Warner Bros., CTW, Nick- wonder nearly 15,000 people arts and design), cashing in at elodeon and Scholastic. flocked to the Licensing Show to over $20 billion a year in retail The licensing industry is...now get in on some of the action. sales. Animation and children’s producing $25.6 million worth Charles Riotto, the executive direc- properties make up a large part of of sales every hour, 12 hours a tor of the event’s sponsoring orga- this category, with classic proper- day, 365 days a year! nization LIMA, explains the appeal: ties like “Looney Tunes” and “The Licensing Show presents Sesame Street recently joined by Nickelodeon was present in more than 4,000 properties from newcomers like South Park, Blue’s full-force hyping the Fall 1998 around the world, so there is no Clues and Rugrats. release of their first animated fea- better place to find the perfect ture The Rugrats Movie. A new match between licenser, manufac- On the Animation Front character, Baby ‘Dil’ will be intro- turer, and retailer. A hot property While this was not a huge duced in the film, which is pro- has the potential to cross all cate- year for licensing news in the ani- duced by the award-winning ani-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 47

The licensing industry’s most prestigious awards were handed out at the Show’s opening gala event, held at the nearby Marriot Marquis Hotel. Animated properties took home several major awards. Warner Bros. Con- sumer Products International’s Looney Tunes once again took the award for Interna- tional License of the Year. Licensing Agency of the Year went to Nickelodeon, with their most popular property Rugrats taking home the License of the Year award. Other winners included: Hard Goods Licensee of the Year - Hasbro (for Star Wars Action Figures and Accessories), Soft Warner Bros. Consumer Products is the Licensing Show’s largest exhibitor. Photo courtesy of Goods Licensee of the Year - Freeman Public Relations. Happy Kids (for Rugrats Chil- mation studio Klasky Csupo, and is America, and among other tie-ins, dren’s Apparel and Separates), a Paramount Pictures presentation will bring Fox animated favorites Licensed Brand Extension of the in association with Nickelodeon like Life With Louie, Bobby’s Year - Binney & Smith’s Crayola Movies. Nickelodeon’s Emmy-nom- World, and Ninja Turtles into the Paints by Benjamin Moore, Promo- inated pre-school show, Blue’s DZ’s sports-themed environment. tion of the Year - MGM for James Clues, is teaming up with Sears in The Jim Henson Company Bond: Tomorrow Never Dies, and a groundbreaking partnership to and Mattel made news with the International Licensing Agency of create a line of Blue’s Clues appar- announcement of their partnering the Year - Copel/Lesani. el, which will include clothes that to create licensed products for The annual Licensing Show theme-in with the interactive Henson’s Emmy-nominated TV is sponsored by LIMA (Internation- nature of the show. Beginning series Bear in the Big Blue House. al Licensing Industry Merchandis- January 1999, all 833 of Sears full- Mattel will be creating plush and ers Association), a New York based line stores will feature Blue’s Clues molded toys for infants and non-profit organization promoting boutiques. preschoolers, along with games the industry. Next year’s event will and puzzles based on the series. be held in New York City, June 8- Entertainment is the most Look for these products available 10, 1999. lucrative...cashing in at over in stores by the end of 1998. $20 billion a year in retail Deborah Reber manages Ancil- sales. Seminars & Awards lary Projects for Nickelodeon’s Saban Entertainment As part of the Licensing Blue’s Clues and is a freelance announced the launching of a Show’s commitment to being writer based in New York. unique relationship between Fox more than a trade show, nearly a Kids Network/Fox Family Channel dozen seminars were also held and Discovery Zone (DZ) activity over the course of the week, cov- Note: Readers may contact any centers for children and families. ering such topics as licensing Animation World Magazine con- Properties from the Fox stations basics, women’s sports, how to tributor by sending an e-mail to will be featured at 203 Discovery get media coverage, the Internet, [email protected]. Zone centers throughout North and how to “grab” kids’ attention. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 49 AzimuthAzimuth :: GetGet ThoseThose Red/GreenRed/Green Glasses—3DGlasses—3D HasHas MadeMade ItIt ToTo Tape!Tape! by Judith Cockman ow does a woman, design- design/graphics. ing the structure of knitted One of the rewards Hfabric, parlay her expertise of her labor is Azimuth, into an award-winning computer- ostensibly the first generated anaglyph 3-D anima- anaglyph, computer-gener- tion? By obsessive trial and error ated animation to make it with self-taught computer skills to tape. In other words, the and Lloyd Burchill’s program first computer-generated “KNOT.” animation that has a 3-D effect when the audience is Elkin developed a system of wearing those funky 10¢ number overlay patterns red/green glasses. It took through years of experimenta- Elkin months just to figure tion with stitching. out how to out put the computer animation to Azimuth. © Staceyjoy Elkin. Staceyjoy Elkin bought her- tape in a high-resolution form to another mathematically, with self a Mac to “write papers on” without destroying the 3-D effect. great precision and artistry, creat- when she went back to college ing a fascinating blend of the three years ago to get a degree in Knitting Patterns Conceive ephemeral and the pragmatic. Forensic science. Like a kid in a Computer Animation One of her joys working with candy store getting sidelined from Elkin developed a system of Burchill’s system was the “sideways buying the groceries, she got number overlay patterns through journey” it afforded her to under- caught up in playing with the years of experimentation with stand another person’s way of ‘Net. A year of neglected home- stitching. “It involved a pattern of, thinking through his creation. work later, she dropped out of col- say, 4-6-8-2-8-6-4, which could lege and began her pursuit of describe the number of stitches She produced the piece in her computer animation and web doing different things, and one or “computer room/closet on more number sequences such 10th Street, Lower East Side of as 3-5-3-5-1-1-1, which could be Manhattan.” the color or texture changes laid over the stitch going on,” she Elkin contends Burchill’s says. “Repeated over and over, a innovative programming allowed very unique pattern emerges. her to express the things she sees Variations on this theme are in her head, which had been endless.” impossible to describe or express This technique was translat- in any other way. She is in awe of ed to the KNOT program and his work. Azimuth is the result. Lloyd Burchill’s KNOT creates graphics Elkin Goes A Step Further using parametric equations (a But KNOT has its limits as to mathematical way of describing how long an animation can be. a shape in space). According to Using her number overlay system, Azimuth. © Staceyjoy Elkin. Elkin, it interpolates one shape Elkin built Azimuth with about 40

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 50 Musical Collaboration their diligence and enthusiasm. She met musician Mark Azimuth may not be breaking any Hofschneider at her current job sound barriers in creative expres- as a web producer and, sion, but it is a great accomplish- impressed with each others’ ment of the interplay between the work, they collaborated on aesthetic and the mathematical. Azimuth. She showed him her Azimuth is slightly over two raw footage, and he set the feel minutes long. It was screened at and mood of the music to her The Kitchen in New York City last work. She then edited her September, as well as San Francis- footage to his music. co, Los Angeles, San Diego and Azimuth. © Staceyjoy Elkin. Hofschneider is a musician London as part of the DFILM Digi- separate animations, with match- formally trained in classical gui- tal Film Festival. Bart Cheever, for- ing beginning and ending key tar, piano, voice percussion, cello mer producer of the Low Res Fes- frames specially timed to give the and music composition. He tival (now producer of DFILM), illusion of one mostly continuous received a bachelors degree in provided the glasses. Azimuth morph. This gave her the ability to music therapy and worked in the recently won third place in the ani- extend the piece indefinitely. The field for five years. Three years ago mation category of the Parson result is a mesmerizing interplay of he started working in new media, School of Design International circular configurations. Half the mainly doing CD-Rom scoring, New Media Festival. fun of watching the animation is production and web develop- The duo’s newest collabora- wearing the goofy red/blue glass- ment. tion Le Monade is a full-color es and grabbing at the images as abstract animation. they reach out to you. Her future goal is to create an Watch out for Staceyjoy She produced the piece in animation that makes people Elkin. Her future goal is to create her “computer room/closet on nauseous. an animation that makes people 10th Street, Lower East Side of nauseous. Brilliant...a carnival ride Manhattan.” Costs for the project Although the MIDI allows a for couch potatoes. With her came to about U.S. $150 which musician to compose and produce determination and focus I have no covered zip discs to store source his or her work affordably in the doubt she’ll accomplish it. footage. Rather than relying on home, it tends to create a very grants or loans, Elkin paid her way middle-of-the-road effect which I Note: The on-line version of this with freelance web design/coding tend to find atonal, lacking in a article includes a Quicktime movie jobs while she made the anima- tonal center, rather than musical. of Azimuth by Staceyjoy Elkin. tion. The sounds are flat, without pitch, http://www.awn.com/mag/issue as if the musician were slight- 3.5/3.5pages/3.5cockman.html ly off pitch of the pure sound Judith Cockman, a Canadian cur- we long to hear. The result rently living in Los Angeles, is a always strikes me as sound- playwright, award-winning docu- ing exactly like the last MIDI mentary writer, actor and journal- effort of the last abstract ani- ist. She has written about anima- mation piece I saw some- tion for The Toronto Star, Kid- where too many times screen Magazine and SPLAT!, a before and Azimuth does not behind-the-scenes-type television escape this unfortunate series about the world of anima- result. tion. Elkin’s Remarkable Dili- Note: Readers may contact any gence Animation World Magazine con- This creative team, howev- tributor by sending an e-mail to Azimuth. © Staceyjoy Elkin. er, is to be commended for [email protected]. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 51 The Animated Film CollectorÕs Guide : David KilmerÕs Odyssey book review by Emru Townsend

details differ. Even if Buy this book in the Animation World Store! you’re not looking for http://www.awn.com/ that elusive short, find- awnstore/books/ ing a favorite movie can be an ordeal. Not many robably the worst thing a col- major video chains lector can experience is a carry, say, The Plague Psense of futility. Specifically, Dogs, and almost none the sense of futility that comes have staff who can tell from trying to locate a videotape you the name of “that with that one funky three-minute neat dancing film by short seen at an animation festival. Erica Russell.” (If you do A tattered photocopy of the festi- have such a store, tell val’s program in hand, the dazed me and I’ll move there.) collector shuffles from store to David Kilmer’s store and catalog to catalog, try- The Animated Film Col- ing to find the one tape or lector’s Guide aims to laserdisc with the sought-after be the collector’s bible, masterpiece. Eventually, the poor replacing our dog- soul collapses in a sobbing heap, eared Whole Toon cata- unable to read one more minus- logs as reference mater- cule title listing. ial. Actually, it means to go one better, as illus- able. But how to get to this list? David Kilmer’s The Animated trated by its subtitle: Worldwide That’s what the second and third Film Collector’s Guide aims to Sources for Cartoons on Video- chapters (“Films by Title” and be the collector’s bible... tape and Laserdisc. Not only will “Films by Author, Character or Stu- we be able to find out if a particu- dio”) are for. Both of these chap- “It’s impossible!” he later lar short or movie is available, we’ll ters present the same information, cries to no one in particular in a be able to find out where to get it! just indexed differently. The films seedy, disreputable bar, nearly Since the main object of are listed with the year of release, spilling his fifth strong drink. “How this book is to find animated the director, the studio, and a list can I find one hundred and eighty shorts, the backbone is its fourth of the compilations in which they seconds out of this multitude of chapter, “Compilations of Shorts.” can be found. video releases?” The bartender Listed there are more than 650 nods sagely. He’s seen it all before. compilations, each with entries Finding the Film Animation collectors are a sad, such as, “Brothers Quay, The Vol. Overall, it’s a pretty good despondent lot. He later sends the 1 FRF 102 (VHS NTSC); VOY system, though the second and wretch home in a cab with an EP 1074L (NTSC LD) EXP.” This code third chapters could use a slight copy of Minnie the Moocher as indicates the catalog numbers, reworking; both of them are orga- consolation. available video formats, and dis- nized in four columns, with the tributor (“EXP” in this case stands films’ titles in the first column, the Does This Sound Familiar? for Expanded Entertainment), year of release in the second, the Sure it does, even if the where such information is avail- ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 52 studio and director in the third, Kilmer admits as much in the first ing for fact and spelling checkers, and the compilation reference in few pages. He mentions that with I’ll happily apply for the job; it the fourth. That’s fine for the “Films two exceptions, TV animation is seems as if I have to qualify my by Title” chapter, but in the “Films not covered in the book, which comments on every other anima- by Author, Character or Studio” will probably be rectified in the tion book I review because of mis- chapter, it means your reference next edition. Given the enormous takes in the text. Reference books column is second from the right, amount of TV animation released like these are overwhelming for rather than where you’d expect it on video these days, this is an the same reason they’re useful: to be, on the left. I had to keep essential addition; it will probably there’s an enormous body of infor- glancing at the page heading to also be a task as monumental as mation contained in them. Yet be sure I was in the right chapter. this book. He also says that anime people insist on taking these pro- It’s not a fatal flaw, but it gets in the has been excluded since there are jects on alone. Please, guys, get a way of easy reference. already books devoted to anime co-author or two! Still, Kilmer has videos. My first reaction was that made an impressive commitment Reference books like these are anime was being ghettoized. (It’s in creating this first volume of its overwhelming for the same often considered a separate entity kind. Incidentally, during our brief reason they’re useful: there’s from the rest of animation, some- dialogue, Kilmer revealed that he an enormous body of informa- thing I’ve long been tired of see- envisions another purpose for the tion contained in them. ing.) But when I put the question book: to encourage independent to him, he mentioned that one animators to self-distribute their Finding feature-length ani- reason for both omissions is simply films. It’s an interesting premise, mation is easier: they’re listed in space. If this edition is successful, a one which I’d like to see develop the second and third chapters, larger revision will be issued, further over time. In the mean- among the shorts. Instead of giv- including more TV animation, time, I’ll keep The Animated Film ing a reference to one of the listed anime, and even some commer- Collector’s Guide on my reference compilations, the available video cials. shelf, and keep my eyes peeled for formats and catalog numbers are the second edition. Kilmer revealed that he envi- listed. Most of the time, anyway. sions another purpose for the My first spot check, Nelvana’s Rock The Animated Film Collector’s book: to encourage indepen- & Rule, led me to the “Compila- Guide : Worldwide Sources for dent animators to self-distrib- tions of Shorts” chapter, where it Cartoons on Videotape and ute their films. was listed... under “Rock & Rule.” Laserdisc, by David Kilmer, Sydney, However, of my dozen spot Finally, I do hope that the Australia: John Libbey & Company checks, this was the only quirk. book gets a better editor. Awk- Ltd. (U.S. distributor Indiana Uni- ward phrases that never should versity Press), 1997. 212 pages. Additions to the Second Edition have made it past the proofs are ISBN: 1-86462-002-1 (U.S. $32.50 The book also has other ref- lurking throughout the book, and paperback). erences for the animation collec- little glitches abound. For tor, such as sources for out-of-print instance, on page 185, Kilmer asks titles, other animation books, readers who know of sources for Emru Townsend is a freelance ASIFA’s different chapters, and so Pioneer’s ‘Animation Animation’ writer who won’t stop talking on. Kilmer also encourages read- series to write to “the address about cinema, animation and ers to send him any additional below,” which is followed by four computers. He is also the information they may have for inches of empty space. Some ani- founder and former editor of FPS, inclusion in the next edition. Of mators also have their names mis- a magazine about animation. course, a book like this invites spelled, and a few shorts are incor- future editions; more animation is rectly categorized (Two Stupid released on video every day. But Dogs is listed as a World Premiere Note: Readers may contact any there are some omissions in The Toon, though the show predates Animation World Magazine con- Animated Film Collector’s Guide, the World Premiere Toons by tributor by sending an e-mail to which really should be dealt with. about two years). If Kilmer’s look- [email protected]. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 53 The Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum: A Cultural Monument by Jackie Leger f you’re traveling in Japan and Tezuka’s Legacy want to pay tribute to one of Tezuka began his IJapan’s pioneers of manga, the career as a cartoonist in Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum 1947. An avid storyteller should be the first place on your interested in western lit- list. Located in the small town of erature, his modernized Takarazuka in the Kansai region version of Treasure you can take the local train at Island placed him on Osaka Umeda station, change at the literary map with Amagasaki and get off at the end book sales around of the line. Walk down Flower 400,000 copies. Avenue past the souvenir shops Throughout his long and quaint restaurants until you career, he drew nearly come to a silver futuristic building, 150,000 pages of resembling an astro-lab. The dome comics which filled will remind you of a space movie some 500 different and the faces of Atom Boy, Leo, titled works. The muse- Princess Knight and Phoenix, um has a remarkable A skylight inside the museum displays Tezuka’s family etched on the titanium walls, will archive of material and of animated characters. Image courtesy of the Osamu tell you that this is the place, the the main exhibition hall Tezuka Manga Museum. memorial to the legacy of Osamu houses the permanent collection Although Tezuka studied Tezuka. which includes drawings, pho- medicine at Osaka University, he tographs, notebooks and volumes became one of Japan’s rising Throughout his long career, he of comic strips. literati with his first forays into car- drew nearly 150,000 pages of toons. His early stories were comics which filled some 500 Born in 1928, Tezuka’s sophisticated adaptations of world different titled works. childhood in the environs of literature or staunch social com- Takarazuka brought him close to ments on universal problems. His The Manga memorial nature, a theme he often used in long narratives, complex plots and prides itself on being one of the his stories. One of the wonders of cinematic style, often reminiscent most popular attractions in Japan, the museum exhibition are the of German or French movies he claiming thousands of visitors per notebooks of finely detailed insect saw as a child, paved the way to a month. With its charming theme studies. Another attraction are his new and innovative manga style. park as a backdrop, the museum is portraits, in particular actors from Also, Tezuka was not interested in somewhat akin to the Disney the Takarazuka theater review the American happy ending syn- Empire on a smaller and less com- which marked his taste for theatri- drome. His works contain grief, mercial scale. None the less, even cal lighting and design. His first anger and hate, thus giving him a after his death, Tezuka remains cartoon strip, Diary of Ma-chan reputation as being a “philosopher one of Japan’s most important cul- (1946) appeared regularly in a of manga.” The early Tezuka tural heroes and his cartoon char- children’s newspaper Shokokumin comics were linked to his impres- acters have captured Japanese Shimbun and launched his career sions of World War II, the devasta- hearts since the 1940s. as a commercial artist. tion of Japan during this time and post-war development. Naturally,

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 54 they bore a heavy overtone. With was soon a television special time, he changed his views popular in the United States in toward more humorous, religious the 1960s. In 1962, Tezuka and theoretical subjects. Whatever launched Mushi Productions Ltd. the subject matter however, he from a small Tokyo office filled was never a lighthearted figure. with aspiring animators and artists. These were the golden Yes,Tezuka created an anima- years of Japanese Manga. tion empire, with thousands of memorable characters, yet he However, Tezuka should managed to remain indepen- not be considered solely a dent, a free-spirited business- manga artist as his experimental man—a rare achievement. animation shows. This lesser

known and eclectic side of Tezu- Osamu Tezuka.Image courtesy of the By far one of his most pop- ka won him many awards with Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum. ular comic book works, the Jungle films such as: A Street Corner close to his role as a master car- Emperor has transformed itself Tale, a short work which used col- toonist than his counterpart. Yes, from a serialized comic strip in orful, angled figures; Jumping, Tezuka created an animation 1950 to the first Japanese televi- which won the 1984 Zagreb Inter- empire, with thousands of memo- sion animation in 1966 to a box national Film Festival; Broken rable characters, yet he managed office success as a theatrical fea- Down Film, a scratched out ode to remain independent, a free-spir- ture in 1997. This story of three to American pioneers, which won ited businessman—a rare achieve- generations of white lions remains the Hiroshima Animation Festival; ment. a symbol for Tezuka’s focus on and his last work, Legend of the humanism and his campaign to Forest in 1988, which was While walking through the preserve nature. His crossover applauded at Zagreb again. In three floors of the Tezuka Manga from comics to animation made 1964, Tezuka met Disney at the Museum, one can only be him one of Japan’s foremost direc- New York World’s Fair, and impressed by his dedication to the tors. His second comic Astro Boy although the two creators have art of the cartoon. gained him international success. often been paralleled, Tezuka After its serialization as a comic, it remained more low keyed and What Is the Museum Like? It’s like visiting the foyer of Princess Knight. It’s like meeting Atom Boy for the first time and it’s like discovering what Japanese manga is all about. The first floor is a historical view of Tezuka’s life and early work. All arranged on stage- like science fiction panels, the books and memorabilia are a trip down memory lane. An NHK doc- umentary at the rear of the room interviews key figures in Japanese animation and a small screening room shows an animated film of Tezuka’s life every 20 minutes. A ride up the elevator to the second floor brings you to a small gallery for rotating exhibitions which The floor plan of the 14,000 square foot Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum.Image cour- include not only Tezuka’s legacy tesy of the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum. but also that of new artists and old ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 55 tables, visitors can make their own four-cel production. Visitors take a seat at the animation light tables and the charming assistant passes out pencils, three-hole-punched paper and animation pegs. Then with their own imaginations and the directions on the console, they can make their own films. Once finished, the assistant then manip- ulates the cels, expanding them in video time, and projects them on a television monitor. Surely, this has been the start of many a career. The idea behind this memorial was to be a place where people would interact with each other through comics and anima- tion emphasizing education. The museum is more than a success, it’s a national archive and one not to be missed.

Watching the 1980 epic animation Phoenix 2772, released in theaters in 1980 by the Toho movie company, one can only think of this incredible bird chang- ing the lives of many, to be a rep- Two fliers from recent exhibits at the museum: Jungle Emperor and Doraemon. Image resentation of Tezuka’s own spirit. courtesy of the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum. He saw a need in the Japanese colleagues, such as Fujiko Fujio stop where Tezuka marketing is at society for vehicles of imagination the creator of the legendary its finest with everything from and change and he created many Doraemon. A Jungle Emperor cafe pens and pins to T-shirts and tow- of them. lets you sit and read books from els. Post cards are a popular The Osamu Tezuka Manga the impressive library with hun- favorite, as are the complete col- Museum is open daily except dreds of volumes. The green jun- lection of video tapes. From here, Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 gle tables and chairs leave a won- take the elevator to the basement p.m. For information and direc- derland kind of setting. The video and be prepared to experience the tions, contact the museum by console in the center of the main craft of animation first hand. phone (81) 0797-81-2970 or fax hall is the most popular stop in (81) 0797-81-3660. town. The waiting line is long, for The museum is more than a this is a chance to watch rare Tezu- success, it’s a national archive Jackie Leger is a Santa Monica, ka videos which give an overview and one not to be missed. California-based writer specializ- of Tezuka’s productions...don’t ing in independent animation. expect to find a seat! The Tezuka The basement studio, com- Museum is truly a living museum. plete with a life-size model of the Note: Readers may contact any Adults and children come for artist at work, is a great education- Animation World Magazine con- hours to watch tapes, read books al experience. The talking Tezuka tributor by sending an e-mail to and play. puppet introduces his profession [email protected]. The gift shop is the next and then along clean, long light

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 56 by Wendy Jackson Business animation company Wild Brain, animation does exist. Mr. Littardi Inc. has acquired the boutique may be contacted by e-mail at Fox Invests In Ciné-Groupe. Fox computer animation studio, Imag- [email protected]. Family Worldwide, parent compa- ination Plantation. The deal brings Mr. Littardi has also written ny to Fox Kids, Fox Family Channel CG production capabilities in- an article about the case, featured and Saban, has acquired a 20 per- house at Wild Brain, which has in the July 1998 Adult Animation cent equity stake in Montreal- been contracting work out to & Comics issue of Animation based animation studio, Ciné- neighboring Imagination Planta- World Magazine. Groupe, a subsidiary of Lion’s Gate tion on projects such as FernGully Entertainment (LGE: TSE). Ciné- 2 and various commercials. Noah People Groupe employs 250 people pro- Hurwitz, founder and president of ducing animated TV series such as three year-old Imagination Planta- Musical Chairs. Rich Cronin has Princess Sissi, Kit & Kaboodle and tion has relinquished his interest in finally settled in to his position as Bad Dog for Fox and other inter- the company to pursue other president and CEO of Fox Kids national clients. The studio is cur- interests. The two other partners Network and Fox Family Chan- rently animating Heavy Metal and lead CG animators Nicholas nel. He was president of Nick at F.A.K.K. 2, sequel to the animated Weigel and Ben Fischler will join Nite’s TV Land until October 1997, feature, Heavy Metal, for Colum- Wild Brain’s full-time staff of 65 when he signed the new contract bia TriStar. people, but they won’t have to with Fox while still under contract move far; The two companies with Nick. Nickelodeon took legal Learning Co. Adds Broderbund have shared studio space since action to prevent Cronin from To Fund. Cambridge, Massachu- 1996. starting with Fox until his original setts-based The Learning Compa- Nick contract expired on June 30. ny, Inc. (NYSE: TLC) and Novato, Animeland Trial Postponed. The Fox Family Channel will re-launch California-based Broderbund Soft- trial of Tibor Clerdouet, Yvan West on August 15 . . . . Roland ware, Inc. (NASDAQ: BROD) have Laurence and Cedric Littardi—all Poindexter has been promoted reached a definitive merger agree- former editors of AnimeLand mag- from director to vice president of ment. The aggregate $420 million azine, accused of publishing mate- deal will combine the two interac- rial deemed offensive to chil- tive software publishers by Sep- dren—has been postponed until tember 1998, expect analysts. February 16. Originally scheduled Broderbund publishes games to take place on June 23 in the based on animated properties High Court (Tribunal de Grande such as Arthur, Carmen Sandiego Instance) in Paris, the trial ques- and Rugrats and books such as tions the viability of animation as a The Cat in the Hat. The Learning form of entertainment for adults. Company recently signed a deal “This leaves us time to assemble with DIC Entertainment to adapt testimonies from important people their interactive animated charac- around the world,” said Cedric Lit- ter Reader Rabbit for animated TV tardi, one of the men on trial who series. is seeking letters of support from people in the animation commu- Wild Brain Harvests nity, and material which supports Roland Poindexter. Photo courtesy of Plantation. San Francisco-based the defense that a market for adult Fox.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 57 development at Fox Kids Net- commercial and feature film areas, He is currently working with Dis- work. His previous positions with his next projects being spots ney on a prequel to the 1988 ani- include development roles at Nel- for Huggies and Disney Cruise mation/live-action feature, Who vana and ABC. . . . At Fox Broad- Lines. Until recently, he was under Framed Roger Rabbit with produc- casting Co., Leslie Kolins-Small contract with Warner Bros. Fea- ers Frank Marshall and Kathleen has been promoted to vice presi- ture Animation. He is currently in Kennedy. The exclusive deal also dent of alternative programming. development on a live gives Disney a first-look at Pente- She will continue to supervise action/computer animation fea- cost’s live-action, TV, book and development of alternative pro- ture for Warner Bros. Studios. . . . stage projects. . . . Joan Vogele- gramming such as Family Guy, Sony Signatures, the consumer sang has been named chief oper- Futurama, The PJs and MAD TV. products division of Sony Pictures ating officer at Montreal-based ani- Before joining Fox as director of Entertainment, has hired Grace mation software company, Toon alternative and late night pro- Ressler as senior manager of pub- Boom Technologies. She was gramming in 1995, Kolins-Small lishing. She was previously man- previously at Qsound Labs. . . was a senior producer at MTV Net- ager of film and television publish- .Actors Mel Gibson (Braveheart), works. . . . Will Vinton Studios ing at Warner Bros. Worldwide Julia Sawahla (Absolutely Fabu- has named Richard Durkin vice Publishing. . . .Husband-and-wife lous) and Miranda Richardson president and executive producer writing team Jon Cooksey and Ali (Damage) are heading the voice in charge of the Portland, Oregon- Marie Matheson have signed a based company’s New York office. one-year television development Durkin has been the studio’s East deal with The Disney Channel. coast independent sales represen- Their writing credits include tative for seven years, and is also Rugrats, as well as live-action president and owner of Ice Tea shows Moonlighting and Outer Productions, a talent management Limits. . . . Debra Streiker-Fine and recruitment agency for ani- has been named president of mation and live-action commercial the Interactive Media division of directors. . . ..Animation director Venice, California-based visual Bill Kroyer has joined Rhythm & effects company Digital Hues, with whom he has been Domain. She was previously working on a freelance basis since president and CEO of Cloud 9 January of this year directing spots Media, a company she founded Actors Mel Gibson and Julia Sawahla with the for Kern’s, Intel, Nicor and Coca- in 1994 that is in the process of puppets of Rocky and Ginger the characters Cola. Now on staff at the studio, being sold. Previously, Streiker- they will voice in Aardman Animations’ first Kroyer will be involved in both the Fine was head of marketing at full-length animated feature, Chicken Run. Disney Interactive. . . . Visual Photo by Rob McEwan. © DreamWorks LLC. effects supervisor Jon Dykstra has cast of Aardman Animations’ first signed on with Sony Pictures full-length animated feature, Imageworks to work on effects Chicken Run. Gibson will play the for Columbia Pictures’ live- part of an all-American rooster action/animation feature, Stuart named Rocky and Sawahla will Little. He will work with director play his British chicken mate, Gin- Rob Minkoff (co-director of The ger. Richardson is Mrs. Tweedy, Lion King). Dykstra’s previous cred- the sinister proprietor of the chick- its include Star Wars, Batman For- en farm from which Ginger and ever, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Rocky are trying to escape. Chick- and Batman and Robin. . . . Poca- en Run will be released by Dream- hontas producer James Pente- Works and Pathe in 1999 or 2000. cost has extended his contract . . . Alias/Wavefront has named Richard Durkin. Photo courtesy of Will with Walt Disney Feature Ani- Warren Pratt, Ph.D., president Vinton Studios. mation for another three years. of the company. An executive of ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 58 parent company Silicon Graphics, com has exited her post as direc- Inc. (SGI) for the past seven years, tor of creative affairs at Warner Pratt replaces Penny Wilson who is Bros. Feature Animation. She leaving Alias/Wavefront to pursue was the remaining half of the other interests. . . . Tom Ruzicka, development division after Doug senior vice president of domestic Wood left for Universal in Novem- production at Walt Disney Tele- ber. . . .Los Angeles-based The vision Animation, resigned at the Story Companies have signed end of July. He began working at Kathy Aronstam for representa- Disney 14 years ago as a produc- tion in Chicago and the Midwest, tion supervisor and was one of the and added live-action/animation staff members involved in the for- director Trip Gruver (previously mation of the TV Animation divi- with Cognito Films) to its roster. . . sion. Ruzicka hasn’t announced his Commercial director Mike Bade. Photo . Santa Maria, California-based next move, but he plans to explore courtesy of Curious Pictures. Computer Café hired computer either new technologies, “as they . Curious Pictures in New York graphics artist Brett Paton. He relate to new distribution methods has signed designer/director Mike was previously at Dynamic Anima- like the Internet,” or to “leave the Bade to its roster. He is a co- tion Systems, a studio servicing executive ranks and get back into founder of Amster Yard, and was military contractors, in Burke, Vir- producing,” he said. . . . Gustavo previously an art director with Mar- ginia. . . . New York City-based Basalo has been promoted to geotes, Fertitta and Weiss, where Tape House Digital hired graph- managing director of International he worked with Curious on the ic designer and Flame artist Network Development for Hearst memorable retro-animated ad Sophia Pavlatos. She previously Entertainment and Syndication campaign for Cappio beverages. . held the same position at Click 3X. Group. For the past 15 months, . . Brad Larson has joined . . . A group of Canadians have he has been general manager of Boston-based Fablevision Anima- joined forces to form a new ani- the Spanish all-animation network, tion Studios to work on interac- mation/effects/paint studio called The Locomotion Channel, a part- tive media for children. He was Mercury Filmworks, based in nership with Hearst and Cisneros previously an educational pro- Vancouver. The founding partners Group. Locomotion employees grammer and interactive exhibit are Blair Peters and Chris are currently reporting to Carlos designer at the Boston Children’s Bartleman from Studio B Produc- Cisneros while an executive search Museum. . . . Jean Ann Wright tions, and Clint Eland and Reg is conducted to fill Basalo’s posi- has been hired as event coordina- Eland of Eland Effects Group. tion. . . . David Zuckerman has tor at ASIFA-Hollywood, the Los been hired as an executive pro- Angeles chapter of the interna- In Passing... ducer for the new Fox series, Fam- tional animated film society, ASIFA. ily Guy. He was previously an She was previously employed at Dusan Vukotic, animator, director, executive producer on Fox’s King CBS, and is also co-chair of the artist and former head of the ani- of the Hill.. . .Suzanne French Women In Animation Writer’s mation unit of Duga Film, known has been named vice president of Group. . . . Jan Nagel has joined as the Zagreb Animation Studio, Toronto, Canada-based Alliance North Hollywood, California- passed away in July at the age of Animation. She was previously in based ink, paint and compositing 71. He was one of the founding charge of creative development service Virtual Magic Animation members of the famous Zagreb and business management for as director of business develop- “school of animation” in the for- YTV and Treehouse TV co-produc- ment and marketing. For the past mer Yugoslavia, where he directed tions. . . . Los Angeles area effects six years she has been director of films such as The Playful Robot house Dream Quest Images has marketing and communications at (1956), Concerto for Sub-Machine hired Dean Wright as director of Calico Entertainment, and was Gun (1959) and Substitute/Ersatz production. He has been a staff previously director of public rela- (1961) which won the Oscar for visual effects producer at Digital tions and advertising for Dream Best Animated Short Film. Another Domain for the past two years. . . Quest Images. . . . Laura Hark- of his films, The Game was nomi- ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 59 mators on the 80-member was used to create an animated team at ILM, said that short called The Imax Nutcracker, although much of ILM’s which has been screening at work was cleaning up the selected Imax theaters since late puppet shots, the “fun” part 1997. Imax chairman and co-CEO was the full character ani- Brad Weschler said, “With the mation they created for the rapid growth of the Imax 3-D the- soldiers’ facial expressions ater network, we also feel that and action shots such as soon we should have enough dis- running and jumping. Lee, tribution clout to establish new who worked in traditional characters and to launch ancillary animation before joining market sales off Imax 3-D anima- Small Soldiers. Image courtesy of and © Dream- ILM two years ago, said ani- tion.” In a separately-funded ven- Works LLC and Universal Pictures. mating Small Soldiers was ture, Russian animator Alexander nated for an Academy Award in akin to working in stop- Petrov is working in Montreal on a 1964. Marija Dail, a former col- motion animation, and even like 20-minute animated film in Imax league remembers him as “a great playing with action figures. The format, through Pascal Blais Pro- leader,” a “silver streak in Yugosla- film required 136 CGI models, the ductions, which is expected to be vian animation from the very most ever created for a production completed by the end of 1998. beginning.” Adam Snyder of Rem- in ILM’s history. brandt Films, distributor of the DreamWorks Ups The Ante. Zagreb film library, said Vukotic IMAX To Turn 2-D Into 3-D. DreamWorks has decided to “was still full of ideas for new ani- Imax Corp., a Toronto, Canada- release its computer animated fea- mated films.” based company specializing in ture, Antz six months earlier than large format and stereoscopic film its previously announced debut Films technology, is testing a system to set for March 1999. This bold convert existing 2-D animated move will place the PDI-produced Small Soldiers Big On Effects. On films into 3-D versions for exhibi- film in U.S. theaters on October 2, July 10, DreamWorks Pictures and tion in Imax cinemas. A spokesper- 1998, a full seven weeks before Universal Pictures opened their son for Imax confirmed reports the November 20 release of Dis- live-action feature film Small Sol- that the company is negotiating ney/Pixar’s entomological CGI ani- diers, which features computer with several undisclosed Holly- mated feature A Bug’s Life. While animated visual effects by Industri- wood studios to use this technolo- the media has been depicting the al Light & Magic (ILM) and anima- gy for releases as soon as 1999. In turn of events as a high-stakes tronics by Stan Winston Studio. order to be converted, Depicting toy action figures which the 2-D film would have take over a small town, the film to exist in digital format, posed a unique challenge to visu- which presents no prob- al effects artists. Director Joe Dante lem, as most animated said, “The puppets are very stiff, features are digitally-pro- and CGI is much more fluid. The duced these days (Disney trick was to make the puppets look Feature Animation hasn’t more fluid and the CGI more stiff, inked real cels since The which, oddly enough, is quite Little Mermaid). Imax is tough.” Visual effects supervisor also getting into anima- Stefen Fangmeier agreed, “We tion with its SANDDE had to resist the temptation to (Stereo Animation Draw- make our CG characters more ing Device) technology dynamic—to have them perform which allows animators actions that toys could never do.” to draw 3-D images in Antz. © DreamWorks LLC. Steve Lee, one of the 20 staff ani- freehand space. SANDDE ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 60 competition—DreamWorks vs. Dis- ing stiff competition in the next mated series Stressed Eric in their ney, Pixar vs. PDI, Jeffrey Katzen- few years, with animated feature Wednesday night prime time line- berg vs. rival Disney executives— releases coming from Dream- up starting on August 12. This is people involved in the production Works, Disney/Pixar, Warner Bros., the first time NBC has aired a reg- of both films are expressing a Fox and others. The international ular prime time animated series desire for each other to succeed, success of Mulan will soon unfold; since The Famous Adventures of and coexist. “We are all trying to the film has recently opened in Mr. Magoo aired on Saturday keep this from turning into a battle parts of Latin America, and will nights during the 1965/65 TV sea- of the movies,” said Carl open in Japan in September, the son. Stressed Eric, a co-production Rosendahl, PDI’s founder and U.K. in October and the rest of of Absolutely Productions, the BBC chairman, “It’s not about that.” He Europe before the end of the year. and Klasky Csupo, stars a British added that the two films are “radi- Remarkably, Disney has not yet main character with a strong cally different,” with “different sto- determined a release date for accent, so NBC will re-dub the ries and different characters, and China, the country from which the track with an American voice actor are aimed at different audiences.” Mulan story originates. A company to make the dialogue more com- He said that DreamWorks’ decision spokesperson said they hope to prehensible to its American view- to move Antz to October is a result open the film in China before the ers. . . . Film Roman has been of the film being ready, and that end of the year. contracted by Twentieth Century many of the shots are already Fox Television to produce 13 completely rendered. He admits Miramax Marking Mononoke episodes of the new animated there will be a push to complete For ‘99. The long-awaited U.S. series Family Guy, created by Seth production, but the studio’s staff of theatrical release of Hayao Miyaza- MacFarlane and slated to air on 260 people will not be expanded, ki’s animated feature film, Princess Fox prime time in 1999. Film nor will work be farmed out, as Mononoke has been scheduled Roman also produces The Simp- Warner Bros. did to meet its holi- for summer 1999. Miramax will sons and King of the Hill for Fox. . day release date for Space Jam in release the film with a dubbed . By the end of 1998, Nick- 1996. PDI’s second CGI feature for English voice track featuring actors elodeon will launch two 24-hour DreamWorks, Shrek is currently in Gillian Anderson, Claire Danes and feeds of its kids cable channel in pre-production and development, Minnie Driver. The film earned its Asia: on DirecTV in Japan and on and will get a head start on pro- spot as the all-time highest gross- Asian Cable Communications in duction shortly after the release of ing film in Japan, bringing in over the Philippines. . . . Cartoon Net- Antz. DreamWorks’ first, now sec- $150 million at the domestic box work has ordered an additional ond-to-be-released animated fea- office in 1997. The film also won 13 episodes of the Johnny Bravo ture, Prince of Egypt, produced in the Japanese equivalent of the series from Hanna-Barbera. The their Los Angeles facility, is slated “Best Picture Oscar.” Insiders have new shows will air in 1999. . . . for a December 18 debut. said that Miramax, a Disney com- Matinee Entertainment and pany, is holding the release of the producer Frank Saperstein have Mulan Makes $100 Mil. In exactly film until ‘99 so as not to interfere completed 13 episodes of the ani- one month, Disney’s animated fea- with the current run of the ani- mated series Kampung Boy based ture film Mulan has grossed over mated feature Mulan. Buena Vista on the comic by the Malaysian $100 million in ticket sales at Unit- Home Entertainment has a deal artist who goes by the name of ed States movie theaters. Between with Tokuma Shoten to distribute “Lat.” The show was recently its June 19 release date and the eight of Miyazaki’s animated films screened at the Singapore Anima- box office closing on July 19, in the U.S. on video. The first will tion Fiesta and is slated to air in Mulan has grossed approximately be Kiki’s Delivery Service on Sep- October on the ASTRO satellite $101 million, according to figures tember 1 and the second will be network in Malaysia. U.S. and published in the Hollywood Castle in the Sky in 1999. international sales are still pend- Reporter [7/20/98]. The success of ing. . . . Stop-motion animator Mulan has bolstered the hopes of Television Corky Quakenbush is gearing up Disney’s colleagues in the feature to produce more spoof shorts for animation business, who are fac- TV Tidbits. NBC will air the ani- another season of Mad TV on Fox. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 61 He recently completed two series Mouse and the City Mouse Adven- understand the world, will air on pilots; one for Fox and another for tures and The Little Lulu Show. Nick Jr. starting in January 1999. It HBO. . . . Klasky Csupo’s new ani- CINAR is partnering Paris-based will be produced in Nickelodeon’s mated series, The Wild Thornber- Alphanim (a company founded by digital studio in New York, rys will be included in Nick- Christian Davin last year) to co-pro- launched for production on elodeon’s new Nick-O-Zone prime duce a new animated series called another pre-school animated time line-up starting August 31, Mona the Vampire, based on series, Blue’s Clues. Cosby will along with returning series Hey books by Sonia Holleyman. The executive produce, Robert Scull Arnold! and Kablam! A tie-in pro- half-hour show will air on YTV in (Rocko’s Modern Life, Kablam!) will motion with Burger King will fea- Canada, France 3 and Canal J in produce and direct and Fracaswell ture toys based on Nick shows, France, and Animation Services in Hyman will write the series. Bill such as figurines from Action Hong Kong.. . . . Starting this fall, Cosby is also working on an ani- League Now!. . . . Nickelodeon a west coast feed of Disney’s new mated feature with MGM. debuted its new series of animat- all-animation network Toon Dis- ed shorts, Oh Yeah! Cartoons! on ney will be available to cable affili- Start Your Noggins! U.S. cable July 19 at 12:00 noon, starting ates, on the Galaxy 7 and broadcaster EchoStar Communica- with Chalkzone by Larry Huber Transponder 17 systems. This tions Corporation has agreed to and Bill Burnett, What is Funny? means that west coast viewers in launch Noggin, the first 24-hour by Bill Burnett and Vince Waller pacific and mountain time zones educational network for kids. The and Jelly’s Day by Greg Emison will see programming at its sched- Nickelodeon/Children’s Television and Bill Burnett.. . . . Fox Family uled time rather than three hours Workshop joint venture will be Channel, launching on August later than east coast viewers. . . . available in January 1999 on 15, has added the Nelvana/Medi- Canada’s all-animation network, EchoStar’s DISH Network. The alab series Donkey Kong Country Teletoon is airing a weekend announcement, representing to it’s weekend line-up, The Week- series called Frame by Frame fea- Noggin’s first DBS distribution end Chill. Fox Family Channel has turing animation from the Nation- agreement since its inception two also purchased a package of CGI al Film board of Canada (NFBC). months ago, was made today by program interstitials called Bob This month’s highlights include the Nicole Browning, executive vice and Scott from French network animated shorts, The Cat Came president of Affiliate Sales & Mar- TF1. . . . . HBO has purchased Back, The Big Snit, The Balgonie keting for MTV Networks. broadcast rights to three animated Birdman and others. Canadian series by Canadian production NFBC fans also caught the NFBC VH1 Tooning In. Yet another company CINAR: The Adventures special, The Art of the Animator, cable network is launching into of Paddington Bear, The Country profiling Co Hoedeman, Jacques animation. VH1, a Viacom-owned Drouin and others, on July sister company to MTV and Nick- 31 on the Saskatchewan elodeon which focuses on music Communications Network programming, has announced a (SCN). . . . development slate that includes two animated series. The Agent is Nick And Cosby Animat- being developed in conjunction ing Little Bill. Nickelodeon with Lorne Michaels’ (producer of is teaming up with Bill Saturday Night Live) company Cosby to produce a new Broadway Video, as a weekly half- animated series for pre- hour show following the life and schoolers called Little Bill, times of a music agent and his based on Cosby’s books of clients. As the series is only in the same name published development stage at this time, a by Scholastic. The show, production company has not which investigates life been chosen, but it is possible that Donkey Kong Country will air on Fox Family Chan- through the eyes of a five- J.J. Sedelmaier Productions could nel in the U.S. Image courtesy of Medialab. year-old boy on a quest to be involved because of their track ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 62 record of producing the TV Funhouse animated segments for Saturday Night Live. The second series in develop- ment is called Ani- mal Tracks. Playing on analogies of ani- mal personalities, the show is about a record company with a snake for a (Colossal) Pictures’ two new Coca-Cola commercials, Delivery Truck and Happy Fizz. Images courtesy of president, a bat for (Colossal) Pictures. an A&R guy, and a model and animate the rotating Bass, Charlex director Alex Weil “cute chick” for an office manager. pill in the spot. Radium recently and designer Heath Ivan Hewett Get it? VH1 senior vice president opened a satellite office in Santa employed a “brickolage” (brick lay- of Programming & Production Jeff Monica, California. It will be head- ering) animation technique and Gaspin said, “Our new develop- ed by Dana Townsend. . . . Lon- used Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop ment slate combines the same don-based Passion Pictures’ CG and Flame to achieve a flat, cut- passion for music that marked our and effects team created an ani- out look. . . . New York-based best programs with a wider variety mated spot featuring the charac- Tape House Digital created CGI of traditional television genres.” ter Tom Total for Colgate Total visual effects of a huge gold disc toothpaste. Directors Chris Knott flying over Manhattan—a take-off Commercials and David Sigrist and animators of Independence Day—for a 30- Chris Ratcliffe and Chris Hemming second spot for the Goodwill Spotlight. San Francisco-based used Newtek’s Lightwave 3D soft- Games. The director of CGI was (Colossal) Pictures has complet- ware to bring the character to life, Floyd Gillis and the CGI animator ed two new 30-second animated crawling out of a toothpaste tube. was Kevin Gillen. . . . North Holly- commercials for Coca-Cola. Deliv- The spot is airing in Europe. . . . wood-based Film Roman animat- ery Truck, directed by George Eve- New York-based J.J. Sedelmaier ed three 30-second spots for Sea- lyn, is a sequel to last year’s Facto- Productions created a black & World, featuring an animated ver- ry spot featuring 1920s-style black white “film noir” cartoon to open sion of the park’s killer whale mas- & white characters (animated by the New York Art Directors Club cot, Shamu. The spots are Chuck Gammage Animation). The 77th Annual Awards show. It was described as animated “vignettes” new addition is a CGI delivery based on the drawings of comic rather than commercials, because truck (animated by Little Fluffy artists Adrian Tomine (Optic Nerve) although the air time is purchased Clouds) powered by a mouse on a who designed the program for (on Cartoon Network, Nick- treadmill inside the engine, drink- the event. . . . New York-based elodeon and Discovery Kids), the ing—what else?—Coke. The sec- Charlex cre- ond spot, Happy Fizz is another ated its first retro-styled spot fashioned after feature film Japanese “kiddie-manga” comics, title directed by Charlie Canfield and sequence, for designed by Margeigh Joy. . . . . Bruno de San Francisco-based Radium cre- Almeida’s ated 3-D logo animation for Wal- comedy, On greens, highlighting the drug the Run. store’s new “Touch Tone Prefills” Inspired by prescription service. Digital artist the title Charlex’s feature film title sequence for On the Run, inspired by Debora Santosa used Softimage to design of Saul legendary designer Saul Bass. Image courtesy of Charlex. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 63 spots are designed more like ware to combine the ele- movie trailers or mini-episodes of a ments. . . .Burbank, California- program, called Shamu and Crew. based Renegade Animation Busch Entertainment Corp. presi- created the animation for a 30- dent Chris Shea said, “Although second spot for Bull’s Eye BBQ they are branded with the Sea- Sauce and Foote, Cone & Beld- World logo, these segments are ing, in which a red bull on the pure entertainment.”. . . . Mon- bottle label comes to life tréal, Canada-based Pascal Blais through 2-D cel animation, Productions created two com- directed by Darrell VanCitters. mercials for Oscar Mayer Foods’ Live-action was produced by Lunchables. Both spots are clay Morton Jankel Zander in Los Renegade Animation’s Bull’s Eye BBQ Sauce and puppet-animated and direct- Angeles. . . . Palo Alto, Califor- commercial. Image courtesy of Renegade. ed by Richard C. Zimmerman. . . . nia-based Pacific Data Images niques. Candy (stop-motion) was San Francisco-based Wild Brain (PDI) created a singing, dancing directed by Lucy Blackwell and Jim created a series of 2-D animated Statue of Liberty for the New York, Matison; Cootie-Catcher (live- commercials for The Willy Wonka New York Las Vegas Hotel & Casi- action/animation) by Lucy Black- Candy Factory, which will air on no. Animation director Richard well; Doodle Guy (cel animation) U.S. kids programming through Chuang and animators Konrad by Laurie Keller and Tom Rubalca- the summer. The spots directed by Dunton, Peter Plevritis, Krzysztof va; Cut-out Dolls (live-action/ani- Phil Robinson bring viewers on a Rostek and Adam Valdez used mation) by George Evelyn and wild ride through the Wonka PDI’s proprietary computer-anima- Michael Bartalos; Flipbook (live- candy factory, complete with tion system to create the character action/animation) by George Eve- Oompa Loompas. 3-D back- animation. . . . New York-based J.J. lyn, Tom Rubalcava and Lucy grounds were created by Imagina- Sedelmaier Productions created Blackwell; Puppet Legs (stop- tion Plantation using Alias Power two 15-second commercials for motion) by Jim Matison and Lisa Animator. . . . Toronto-based Topix Connecticut’s People’s Bank. Both Davidson and Socks (stop-motion) created two 30-second spots for spots were designed by Keith by Jim Matison. Four additional Honeycomb cereal which com- Bendis and animated with water- spots were created solely with live- bine computer animated charac- color paintings. . . . New York- action. . . . London-based Passion ter animation and morphing with based Curious Pictures and Pictures and stop-motion anima- live-action footage. The director of designer/director Steward Lee cre- tion director Paul Berry (The Sand- animation was Livio Passera, and ated a cel animation sequence for man) completed a 30-second spot the character animators were a commercial for R.W. Baird Invest- for Dairylea Triangles. The puppets Sean Montgomery, Richard Rosen- ment Banking and Financial Ser- for this spot were created by Mack- man and Andrea Leo. . . . Boston- vices. The spot brings the viewer innon and Saunders. . . . Palo Alto, based Loconte Goldman Design through a maze which zooms out California-based PDI created a created a package of ids for to become a thumbprint. . . . San computer-animated spot for Circle Hearst-Argyle Television, combin- Francisco-based (Colossal) Pic- K Convenience Stores. It features a ing live-action film with 3-D ani- tures produced two animated couple of thirsty lizards that refresh mation and 2-D typography, using commercials for Old Navy, with themselves with drinks from the the Henry system. The 2-D anima- director John Kricfalusi and Spum- store. The spot director was Larry tor was Erica Nieges and 3-D ani- co. The spots introduce a new line Bafia. . . . New York-based The mator was Randy Cates. . . . New of jeans for kids with a retro-50s Ink Tank created an animated York-based Curious Pictures cre- style. The spots were animated by PBS-sponsorship spot for Chef ated four 15-second spots com- Chuck Gammage Animation, and Boyardee, which will air before bining live-action with animated ink & paint was done by Chapow! the Barney and Friends show. The graphics for Barnes & Noble’s and Galaxy World. . . . (Colossal) spot director was Joey Ahlbum. . . Internet book store. Director Mike Pictures also created a series of . The New York branch of Blue Bade and designer/compositer 11 animated station IDs for Nick- Sky|VIFX created a 30-second David Kelley used After Effects soft- elodeon, using a variety of tech- computer animated commercial ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 64 (1940), Canine Caddy (1941) and Mickey and Publications the Seal (1948). Two of the shorts—Orphan’s New Indy Comic Zine. Indy Picnic and Mickey’s Sur- Magazine has ceased printing its prise Party—have publication and launched a new never been released monthly Internet magazine about on video before. The alternative and independent Spirit of Mickey will be comic books, at www.indy- available in U.S. retail world.com. The premiere on-line stores for $22.99 (SRP). issue features interviews with Dex- Mickey Mouse will be ter’s Laboratory creator Genndy Passion Pictures’ Dairylea commercial. Image courtesy resurrected on televi- Tartakovsky and comic artists Brian of Passion Pictures. sion in 1999 with the Biggs, Ed Brubaker, Peter Bagge for Tennant’s Lager called Reincar- debut of Mouseworks, and Chris Ware. The magazine’s nated. Directed by John Payson a new animated series from Walt editors are Jeff Mason and Chris (Joe’s Apartment), the spot depicts Disney Television Animation. Waldron. Mason said many factors a human which comes back to led to the decision to publish strict- earth in the form of an insect. . . . Schoolhouse Rock: Money Rock ly on-line, a key reason being “that was released by Buena Vista we reach more people on the Video Home Entertainment July 21. The Web than we ever did in our five 30-minute video is the fifth install- years of print.” Mickey Classics. On July 14, Walt ment in the 25th Anniversary Col- Disney Home Video released The lection of re-issues of the School- Animated Life, a new bi-monthly Spirit of Mickey, a compilation of house Rock interstitial spots con- print magazine from Vizion Pub- select animated shorts featuring ceived by David B. McCall, which lishing, will launch its premiere Mickey Mouse. The 83-minute have educated kids since the ‘70s issue in August, in time for the San video contains the shorts Steam- with animated music videos. Diego Comic-Con. The first issue boat Willie (1928), The Band Con- Other titles are America Rock, will include an actual cel featuring cert (1935), Thru the Mirror Grammar Rock, Science Rock and (1936), Lend a Paw (1941), Multiplication Rock. Each is avail- Orphan’s Picnic (1936), The Worm able for $14.99 (SRP). Turns (1937), Mickey’s Trailer (1938), Mickey’s Surprise Party American Tail To Be Told Again. (1939), Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip Universal Studios Home Video will lift a six-year moratorium and relaunch its American Tail franchise by rereleasing the first two titles and producing a third, new title for the video market. An American Tail (1986) and Fievel Goes West (1991) will be rereleased on video on August 11 for $19.98 each. An American Tail III: The Treasure of Man- hattan Island will be released later this year. Sound Source The animated short, Mickey’s Trailer (1938) is Interactive will release an included on the new Disney home video title American Tail CD-Rom game Schoolhouse Rock: Money Rock. © Walt The Spirit of Mickey. © Walt Disney Enterprises. Disney Enterprises.All Rights Reserved. All Rights Reserved. as well. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 65 the cast of characters from the Astro Boy, Speed Racer, Gigantor upcoming Marvel Superhero block DHIMA & AIA Form Alliance. and Sailor Moon. Additional tracks on UPN. Subsequent issues will Two Los Angeles-area animation are in Japanese—from animated feature additional collectibles such training programs, DH Institute of series such as Urusei Yatsura, Cat as lithographs, stamps and trading Media Arts (DHIMA) and Associates Girl Nuku Nuku and Cutey Honey. cards. The magazine is the cre- in Art (AIA), have joined forces to The liner notes were written by ation of publishing consultant create Associates in Art Westside, a animation historian Fred Patten, Josh Hvizdos, editor Todd Hoffer new 11-week program starting in and are accompanied by a minia- and Joe Cesaro, president of ani- October 1998. AIA Westside class- ture animation cel inside the CD mation art distributor Sunday Fun- es such as figure drawing, story- jewel case package. nies, Inc. For information, visit boarding, layout, background and www.animatedlife.com. character design will be held at Call For Entries Stay “tooned” for AWN’s DHIMA’s facilities in Santa Monica. Newsstand, where you will be For information on the program, Annie Awards. ASIFA-Hollywood, able to subscribe to Animated Life call (310) 899-9377. the Los Angeles chapter of the and other publications. International Animated Film Soci- http://www.awn.com Ken O’Connor Scholarship ety ASIFA, will hold its 26th annual Fund Update. In follow up to the Annie Awards on Friday, Novem- Education obituary of legendary Disney lay- ber 13, 1998 at the Alex Theater in out artist Kendall O’Connor, we Glendale, California. Submissions Trees For Life Branching Out. are pleased to announce that the of animated TV shows, feature The non-profit organization Trees Kendall O’Connor Animation films, short subjects and commer- for Life has recently moved into a Scholarship Fund has already cials will be judged in 26 cate- new building in Wichita, Kansas. received more than $3,000 in gories, including an expansion of The organization, which helps donations. The address to which voice acting awards to include people in impoverished places donations may be sent, which separate awards for male and around the world utilize trees for was not established at the time of female performers. The entry nourishment, uses animated films that publication, is: deadline is August 8. For informa- to educate people. Animators tion and entry forms call (818) Frédéric Back and Becky Wible Kendall O’Connor Animation 842-8330. have visited Trees for Life’s head- Scholarship Fund quarters to give animation work- PO Box 3535 shops to their staff and supervise 1634 North San Fernando Blvd. production of educational animat- Burbank, CA 91508-3535 ed films. Trees for Life is now look- ing for “animation missionaries” to Additional information volunteer to teach animation in about the fund can be obtained developing areas, such as Alla- by calling Mary Alice O’Connor at habad, India, where a video stu- (213) 849-1728. dio is currently being built. Dona- tions of animation supplies, as well Music as volunteers are also welcome. For information, visit Rhino Toots Best Of Anime CD. www.treesforlife.org or call (316) Rhino Records is compiling music 945-6929. from several Japanese animated Animation World Maga- films and TV series for a CD called zine’s March 1997 issue features The Best of Anime, which will be an article by Heather Kenyon released September 1, 1998. about Trees for Life Among the 16 tracks on the [http://www.awn.com/mag/issue album, four are sung in English— The Annie Awards logo. © ASIFA-Holly- wood. 1.12/articles/kenyon1.12.html]. theme songs from the TV series ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 66 Taza Digital Fest. The fourth Walt Disney Pictures and annual Toronto Animators’ Pixar Animation Studios Zoetrope Association (TAZA) Digi- launched a U.S. “mall tal Image Festival will take place tour” on Friday, July 10, on October 29, 1998. Entries of to promote their animat- independent computer animation ed feature A Bug’s Life. are being accepted until August The film won’t be 27. For details and entry forms visit released until November http://www.interlog.com/~dol- 20, but from now until ish/taza.htm November 15, malls across America will play Is Your Technology Oscar Mate- host to a themed exhibit rial? The Academy of Motion Pic- which includes two live ture Arts and Sciences has issued a stage shows, a behind- call for information about scientific the-scenes look at com- A Bug’s Life Mall Tour Sponsored by Chevy Venture. and technical achievements that puter animation, interac- Photo by Nels Israelson. © Disney Enterprises/Pixar could be considered for Academy tive games and activities. Animation Studio.All Rights Reserved. Awards. Last year’s Scientific and The tour launch in Pleasanton, culty responding to the changing Technical Award honorees includ- California also featured appear- needs of the animation communi- ed animation technology develop- ances by Pixar personalities John ty and specifically those of interna- ments by PDI, Pixar, Alias/Wave- Lasseter, Steve Jobs, Walt Disney tional animation festivals...their front and Softimage, among oth- Motion Pictures Group chairman overall lack of support has led me ers. Awards administration director Richard Cook and Phyllis Diller, the to believe it is in the best interest of Richard Miller said submissions voice of “the Queen” in the film. the OIAF to withdraw itself as an “don’t have to have been invented Additional stops on the tour are as ASIFA-sanctioned event.” He during the current year. Achieve- follows: San Diego (7/17-19), Tus- added, however, that although ments are considered only if they con (7/24-26), Seattle (7/31-8/2), the OIAF is withdrawing from its have proved their exceptional Oklahoma City (8/7-9), Denver ASIFA-sanctioned status (a recogni- merit through successful use.” The (8/14-16), Colorado Springs (8/18- tion bestowed on only a handful deadline for submissions is August 19), St. Louis (8/21-23), Chicago of festivals each year), it will con- 17. For an application packet, con- (8/28-30), Detroit (9/4-7), Indi- tinue to honor the privileges usu- tact [email protected] or call anapolis (9-11-13), Pittsburgh ally given to ASIFA members at (310) 247-3000, ext. 129. (9/15-16), Cincinnati (9/18-20), such festivals, such as reduced Cleveland (9/25-27), New York ticket prices, but not accommoda- Cinequest, an international film City (10/2-4), Philadelphia (10/9- tion for delegate ASIFA board festival based in “the heart of the 11), Washington, D.C. (10/16-18), members. Silicon Valley,” San Jose, California Atlanta (10/23-25), Miami (10/30- There are two sides to will take place January 28 - Febru- 11/1), Tampa (11/6-8), Dallas every story! The June 1998 issue ary 3, 1999. Entries of short films (11/13-15). and this issue of Animation World (including animation) are being Magazine feature essays by ASIFA accepted until October 2, 1998. Ottawa Breaks ASIFA Ties. The International president Michel The fee is $25 per film. Cinequest Ottawa International Animation Ocelot explaining ASIFA’s sponsor- is also seeking entries for its travel- Festival (OIAF) has announced ship of festivals. ing theatrical program, Liquid Cin- that it is dissolving its 22-year rela- ema. For entry forms and informa- tionship with the international ani- Last Month In Animation tion, call (408) 995-5033 or visit mation association, ASIFA Interna- The following is a list of events www.cinequest.org. tional. Festival director Chris Robin- which took place since the last son commented, “Over the course issue of Animation World Maga- Events of the past few years it has zine was published. These listings become increasingly apparent that are published weekly in the Ani- A Bug’s Life Goes To The Malls. ASIFA International has had diffi- mation Flash, a free newsletter ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 67 which is distributed by e-mail. Sub- June 28. London, England, U.K. scribe now! Are there animation The British Film Institute’s National * Friday, July 3 - Sunday, July 5. events going on in your area? Film Theatre continued its kids pro- Anaheim, California, U.S.A. Share your regional event news gramming series, Junior NFT with The Society for the Promotion of with the international readers of two screenings of Anastasia Japanese Animation hosted the the Animation Flash! Please send (1997), both at 4:00 p.m. Call Anime Expo at Anaheim Hilton announcements to 0171-928-3232. and Towers. For information, visit [email protected], at least eight www.anime-expo.org days in advance. * Monday, June 29. San Francisco, California, U.S.A. * Friday, July 3. London, England, * Thursday, June 25 - Monday, The Ideas in Animation series con- U.K. July 6. London, England, U.K. tinued at Minna Street Gallery with The University of Wales College The Royal College of Art hosted its two performances at 7:30 and Newport Animation Department annual animation shows/open 9:30 p.m. Nik Phelps and his hosted screenings of graduate ani- house, each day from 10 a.m. - 8 Sprocket Ensemble and their spe- mation films at the Columbia TriS- p.m. weekdays, and until 6 p.m. cial guest, Wild Brain animator tar/Sony building on July 3. For on weekends. The invitation-only Dan McHale performed live music information, contact gala screening took place on Mon- to Dan’s animated film Sex Pud- [email protected]. day, June 29 in Lecture Theatre ding as well as films by Scott One on the RCA campus. For spe- Kravitz, Shirley Smith, Stacy Rozan- * Thursday, July 16 - Sunday, Sep- cific screening times call 0171-590- ski and Cheryl Cruz. Admission is tember 20. New York City, New 4512 or visit www.rca.ac.uk. $10.00 general, $7.00 for stu- York, U.S.A. dents. For information and reser- The New Museum of Contempo- * Thursday, June 25 - Saturday, vations call (415) 681-3189. rary Art at 583 Broadway hosted June 27. Wales, U.K. The Universi- “Urban Encounters,” an exhibit of ty of Wales College Newport Ani- * Tuesday, June 30. Beverly Hills, social activism in art, including mation Department hosted California, U.S.A. some comic artists mentioned in screenings of graduate animation The Academy of Motion Picture Samantha Berger’s article “NYC films; on Thursday at the chapter Arts & Sciences hosted the sixth Wonder Women” in the July 1998 Arts Centre in Cardiff (coinciding annual Marc Davis Lecture on Ani- issue of AWM. For information on with the animation festival) and all mation. The program, titled “Dis- the exhibit call (212) 219-1355. three days at the college campus. ney’s Unseen Treasures,” was host- An additional show was screen at ed by Disney’s manager of library * Friday, July 17 - Sunday, July 19. the Columbia TriStar/Sony building restorations Scott MacQueen, and Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. in London on July 3. For informa- includes rare behind-the-scenes The second Nan Desu Kon anime tion, contact footage, pencil tests and anima- convention took place at the Sta- [email protected]. tion shorts made between 1930 pleton Plaza Hotel and Fitness and 1950. Many items have never Center. Scheduled companies and * Friday, June 26 - Sunday, June been seen by a Los Angeles audi- guests included IronCat Comics, 28. Toronto, Canada. ence. The show starts at starts at 8 Panther Comics, and Mr. Scott Fra- The Canadian Anime Expo, or p.m. For information call (310) zier. For information visit CNAnime, held its first event at the 247-3000. The event is open to http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/ Metro Toronto Convention Center, the public; tickets are $2. Garden/8493/Nandesukon.html in conjunction with the fourth annual Canadian National Comic * Wednesday, July 1. Hollywood, * Sunday, July 19 - Tuesday, July Book Expo. Both events were California, U.S.A. 21. Laguna Niguel, California, organized by Hobby Star Market- The Hollywood Bowl hosted the U.S.A. ing. For information, visit Los Angeles premiere of the Bugs Spotlight, a conference on digital www.hobbystar.com/cnanime. Bunny Film Festival, featuring clas- media, took place at the Ritz-Carl- sic Warner Bros. cartoons accom- ton in Dana Point. Scheduled par- * Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, panied by the L.A. Philharmonic. ticipants included Rob Glaser of ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 68 RealNetworks, Doug Glen of Mat- members of Warner Bros.’ Termite The Ideas in Animation series con- tel and Barry Diller of USA Net- Terrace animation studio, includ- tinued at Minna Street Gallery with works. For information visit ing Chuck Jones and Maurice two performances at 7:30 and www.spotlight.com. Noble. For information call (800) 9:30 p.m. Nik Phelps and the 302-3398. Sprocket Ensemble, with guest cel- *Sunday, July 19 - Friday, July 24. list Piki Chapell performed live Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. * Saturday, July 25. Los Angeles, music to animated films by Scott SIGGRAPH, the conference on California, U.S.A. Kravitz, Michael Rudnick, Mark computer graphics and interactive Storyopolis launched a three-week Walsh and Tim Sutter. Admission is techniques, held its 25th annual exhibition of art work from films by $10.00 general, $7.00 for stu- edition. The July issue of Anima- independent animator Faith Hub- dents. For information call (415) tion World Magazine featured a ley. The opening reception was at 681-3189. spotlight on films in this year’s 5:00 p.m. and was introduced by Computer Animation Festival and actor Robin Williams, a friend and * Monday, July 27 - Friday, July 31. Electronic Theater programs. AWN fan of Hubley. In addition, Ms. London, England, U.K. will publish the SIGGRAPH ‘98 Spe- Hubley shared her autobiographi- The British Animation Training cial Report on August 11. Stay cal film, My Universe Inside Out Scheme, in association with the tuned to the Animation Flash for (1996), and a panel discussion Museum of the Moving Image details. about Hubley’s life and work fea- (MOMI) in London, offered a one- tured UCLA professor Dan week course, “Introduction to the * Thursday, July 23 - Sunday, July McLaughlin, USC professor Chris- Animation Industry.” The course is 26. Glendale, California, U.S.A. tine Panushka, animation historian aimed at people aged 16 and The Bugs Bunny Film Festival con- Charles Solomon, Cartoon Net- older who are serious about mak- tinued its North American tour work executive Linda Simensky ing a career in animation. The cost with a four-day engagement in and Pyramid Media (distributor of was U.K. £125. For information Los Angeles-adjacent Glendale’s Hubley’s films) president Randy about future programs, call (0171) historic Alex Theatre, July 23-26. A Wright. The event was open to 815-1376. VIP reception was held on both the public ($10 per person). Call July 23 and 24, featuring appear- (310) 358-2512. Awards ances from the surviving original * Saturday, July Mermaid Floats Zagreb. The 25. Berkeley, Cali- Zagreb World Festival of Animated fornia, U.S.A. Films celebrated its 13th edition Nik Phelps and and 25th year, June 17-21 in the Sprocket Zagreb, Croatia. The grand prize Ensemble per- went to Russian animator Alexan- formed live music der Petrov for his film, The Mer- to animated films maid. Additional winners are as at the Pyramid follows: Ale Brewery, fol- lowing a screen- Best First Film: This category was a ing of the feature tie between The Mayor’s Nose by film Annie Hall. Mikhail Lisovoj (Russia) and Pink For information Doll by Valentin Olshvang (Russia). call (415) 681- 3189 Best Film, Category A (30 sec. - 6 min.): Sientje by Christa Moesker * Monday, July (Netherlands). Who knew that Robin Williams was a fan of Faith Hubley? Sto- ryopolis did when they hosted an exhibition of artwork from 27. San Francis- her abstract films. Photo courtesy of Storyopolis. © Faith Hub- co, California, Best Film, Category B (6 min. - 15 ley. U.S.A. min.): The Albatross by Paul Bush ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 69 (U.K.). change the rules for eligibility of short Best Film, Cate- films for Oscars. gory C (15 min. Rule 1, which states - 30 min.): Flat- “films which receive world by Daniel their first public Greaves (U.K.). exhibition in any form other than Best Student commercial theatri- Film: One Eye cal exhibition are by Lianna not eligible for Dognini (U.K.). Academy Awards in any category” has Special Recogni- been amended to tions: also prohibit any “unaired episode of Commercial an established TV Film: Campbell’s series or an unsold Soup: Special TV series pilot” in Selections by Campbell’s Soup: Special Selections. Image courtesy of Acme Filmworks. the Academy’s Short Aleksandra Film competition. In Public Prize: Flatworld by Daniel Korewjo/Acme Filmworks the past, films made for television, Greaves (U.K.). (Poland/U.S.) such as The Chicken From Outer Space (John R. Dilworth/Hanna- Award of the Jury of the Arteria Children’s Film: Dinner for Two by Barbera, nominated in 1996), Gallery: Linear Dreams by Richard Janet Perlman (Canada). qualified if they were screened Reeves (Canada). theatrically before airing on televi- Abstract Film: Linear Dreams by sion. With increased production of Extreme Ghostbusters Has A Richard Reeves (Canada). animated short subjects for televi- Dream. The Western Law Center sion, the Academy is trying to for Disability Rights, a non-profit Design: This category was a tie organization that provides legal between How Wings Are assistance to people with disabil- Attached to the Backs of Angels by ities, has selected Columbia TriS- Craig Welch (Canada) and Blue- tar’s animated TV series Extreme bird’s Last Wife by Aleksander Bub- Ghostbusters as the recipient of nov (Ukraine). its second annual Disability Rights in Entertainment, Arts and The locally-voted “101 Vote for 1” Media (DREAM) Award. The Prize for Best Student Film: Advice show was selected for its “posi- for Hamsters by Dennis Sisterson tive and exciting” portrayal of a (U.K.). wheelchair-using character named Garrett. The award will The locally-voted “101 Vote for 1” be presented at a fund-raiser Student Jury prize: One Day by gala on October 20, 1998. For Marie Paccou (France). information call (213) 736-1437. Kodak-sponsored Prize for Best Stu- Oscar Rules Out TV Series As dent Film Originally Shot on Film: Shorts. The Governors of the Monday Again by Mina Mileva Academy of Motion Picture Arts (Bulgaria). Extreme Ghostbusters. © Columbia TriStar & Sciences have voted to Television.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 70 * Non-Promotion- ITS Monitors CGI. The Interna- al Animation, Gold tional Teleproduction Society (ITS) Awards: presented its International Monitor Forging a Nation Awards on July 11 in Los Angeles. (Caplan Wilkie - Out of 20 categories, three recog- The Television nized computer animation Company). achievements. Shermie (Cartoon Network). Local Commercials, 3-D Computer British Fashion Animation: Carl’s Jr. Ants by POP Awards (Channel Animation. 5). Opens, Closes & Titles, 3-D Com- T.R.A.N.S.I.T. Tops puter Animation: SIGGRAPH Elec- Bradford. The tronic Theater Opening 1997 by Bradford Anima- Sony Pictures Imageworks. tion Festival took place in England National Commercials, 3-D Com- at the beginning puter Animation: Rayovac Batter- Locomotion won several silver and bronze awards at Pro- of June. The ies Fierce Creature by Blue max, for its animated bumper spots. Image courtesy of Loco- motion. awards are as fol- Sky/VIFX. make sure that its awards—for the lows: motion picture industry—don’t Todd McFarlane Named Top end up being given to the televi- Professional Adult Award: Entrepreneur. Todd McFarlane, sion industry. Academy president T.R.A.N.S.I.T. by Piet Kroon. creator of the comic book and ani- Robert Rehme said, “This is an mated series Spawn, has been experiment of sorts. We don’t Non-Professional Adult Award: Lit- named the Ernst & Young 1998 expect it to have much of an tle Princess’ Birthday by Jim Arizona Entrepreneur of the Year impact on the eligibility pool, but if Lefevre. in the Communications and Enter- it’s helpful to a picture or two we’ll tainment category. He was induct- try it.” Experimental Award: Fleeting by ed into the “Entrepreneur of the Justin Eade. Year Institute” during a recent con- Promax, the association of pro- ference in Palm Springs, California. motion and marketing profession- Digital Award: Through the The award was established in als recently held its annual con- Square Window by Owen Lodge 1986 to “honor outstanding entre- vention in Toronto, closing with and Matt Moate. preneurs whose ingenuity, hard the Gold Medallion Awards show work and perseverance have cre- on June 20. Top winners in ani- Under 16s Award: Barvas Primary ated and sustained successful, mation categories are as follows: School, Lewis Isle, Scotland, for growing business ventures.” Todd their animation Mairi Macleod & McFarlane certainly fits the bill; his * Promotional Animation, Gold the Metagama. comic books have sold more than Awards: 120 million copies in 120 coun- Americast Promotional ids (Disney Royal Mail Sponsor Prize: Little tries in 15 languages, he has pro- Televentures). Princess’ Birthday by Jim Lefevre. duced several films and he also Branding Animation (Friedland runs a toy company. Jacobs Communications). All winners received a piece of Week In Week Out (BBC Wales). original artwork from previous ani- Skydiver (MTV Australia). mations, such as the TV series The Conners (WPWR-TV). Beastly Behaviour and Barry Holiday ids (CHEK-TV). Purves’ short film, Achilles. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 71 compiled by Wendy Jackson

On A Desert Island With....Asian Animators

his month, we asked two people related to this issue’s theme of animation in Asia what films they would want to have with them if stranded on a desert island. Ram Mohan is president of RM-USL Animation in TIndia. Frank Saperstein is producer and creative director of the Malaysian animated series, Kampung Boy, featured on the cover of this issue.

Ram Mohan’s Top Ten: 1. Bambi (Disney). 2. The Man Who Planted Trees by Fredéric Back. 3. Labyrinth by Jan Lenica. 4. Pas de Deux by Norman McLaren. 5. Jungle Book (Disney). 6. The Yellow Submarine (TVC). 7. The animated sequences from Pink Floyd’s The Wall (MGM, animation directed by Gerald Scarfe). 8. The Nightmare Before Christmas (Disney). 9. Night of the Galaxy Express by Hayao Miyazaki. 10. All of The Simpsons shows I can get...Is that cheating?

Frank Saperstein’s Favorites: 1. Nine “Looney Tunes” (Warner Bros). 2. Bambi (Disney).

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 72 The Dirdy Birdy

by John R. Dilworth

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 73 Television and Post Production, September 1998

ur big Television issue comes out in September. Michael Lyons is going inside Disney Television Animation to discover how they turn their features into television shows. OCraig Miller is going to discuss the Animation Writers Caucus, part of the Writers Guild of America, while Lesli Rynyk will explain a waste management program that may become mandatory for you! Bijan Tehrani is going to describe his time producing television in Iran, while Russell Bekins is going on location with Corto Maltese. Of course, no television issue is final without a “What’s New on Fall TV” so Joe Bevilacqua is going to give us the rundown. Tips on how to use CGI in post-production in order to save money will be relayed by Bill Fleming and we will also take a look at languaging shows. How do they make all those char- acters speak in other tongues? We will find out. Of course, Barry Purves will continue his pro- duction diary and we will also hear from the Museum of Television and Radio in New York City. Event reviews will include Comic Con by Pete Nicholls. Finally, William Moritz will write on Richard Reeves’ Linear Dreams and Bärbel Neubauer’s Moonlight. Bärbel will also discuss Roots, another of her fascinating films. Animation World Magazine 1998 -1999 Calendar

Indepedent Filmmakers (October)

Feature Films (November)

Family Animation (December)

The Year in Review,The Year in the Future (January)

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1998 74