The Anime Debate
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Table of Contents DECEMBER 2000 VOL.5 NO.9 5 Editor’s Notebook Getting to the people… 7 Letters: [email protected] LOCATION-BASED ENTERTAINMENT 8 Imax May Be The Greatest Film Delivery System Ever Developed, But Will It Prosper? With Fantasia/2000, Imax looked to be a great hope for animation, now Karl Cohen inves- tigates why this immediate future looks shaky. 16 This Is Not Your Father’s LBE From the local bowling alley to elaborate theme parks like Disneyland to virtual reality pods, location-based entertainment has come a long way and, as Martin “Dr. Toon” Goodman explains, the possibilities are endless. ANIME 2000 20 Vampire Hunter D:The Next Anime Hit in America? Fred Patten takes us inside the latest super-cool anime release coming to Japanese and (hope- fully) U.S. theatres soon. Vampire Hunter D is back…and this time it’s being done right. Visit us online to download a QuickTime clip! 25 The Anime Debate Is anime the most exciting, cutting-edge form of animation today? Or does it betray the whole point of the medium? Andrew Osmond asks ten animation professionals and commentators for their views and their responses reveal that there are no simple answers. ADDITIONAL FEATURES 34 The Man Who Bought A Toy For His Kid and Kept It For Himself LEGO MINDSTORMS isn’t just the newest toy on the shelves this holiday season — it is the beginning of an obsession and a trip back to adolescence for Eric Huelsman. Come and learn how you can build robots, real robots that can complete any task you set your mind to. 38 The Animation Pimp This month the Animation Pimp, Chris Robinson, provides a new twist on traditional film reviews… STUDENT CORNER ECEMBER 39 Sketching on Location: Light and Dark Patterns Renowned drawing instructor Glenn Vilppu continues with his fourth installment discussing how to use light and dark patterns to create depth and perspective while sketching on location. See more examples of Vilppu’s techniques online. D © Animation World Network 2000. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network. ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE December20002 Table of Contents DECEMBER 2000 VOL.5 NO.9 INTERNET COMPANY PROFILE 41 UrbanEntertainment: Siting A Skyline Across The Net Fulfilling the promise of the Internet, UrbanEntertainment is creating contagious comedy and on-the-edge drama for the under-represented niche of African-American viewers, finding that they have strong crossover appeal GAMING 48 A Stocking Stuffer That Gives More This holiday season brings three new animation masterpieces to DVD. Jacquie Kubin discusses the DVD format’s benefits and the new releases with a special focus on The Nightmare Before Christmas. FESTIVALS & EVENTS 52 My Week In India As A Master of Animation David Fine tries to convince us that being a “master of animation” for a week in tropical India 2000 isn’t all fun and games. We remain unconvinced. View the expanded photo gallery of people, elephants and more online! 56 East Meets Too Much West?:A Chat with Sayoko Kinoshita The Hiroshima Animation Festival has always seemed like a bastion of Western animation in the midst of animation rich Japan. Chris Robinson interviews festival director Sayoko Kinoshita regarding the festival’s purpose and success. 60 LEAF 2000 Joe Fordham traveled to the London Effects and Animation Festival for three days of panels, discussions and elbow rubbing over a pint with the biggest names in the effects community. 67 Cinanima 2000: On Children And British Humor Annick Teninge visited Portugal’s Cinanima and found a lively festival that has made a real impact on its host country. Photo gallery available online. 70 Annie Awards 2000: Better Than The Oscars ASIFA-Hollywood’s Annie Awards are a high point in the animated year and this year was no exception, if a bit frigid around the edges. Go online to see more fantastic photos of the festivities! FILMS ECEMBER 72 Fresh From The Festivals Maureen Furniss reviews short films: Dottini Suru? (Your Choice!) by Koji Yamamura, The Man with the Beautiful Eyes by Jonathan Hodgson, A Supseita (The Suspect), directed by Jose Miguel Ribeiro, The Periwig-Maker by Steffen Schäeffler and Michael Dudok de Wit’s Father and D Daughter. As always, QuickTime movie clips available online. © Animation World Network 2000. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network. ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE December20003 Table of Contents DECEMBER 2000 VOL.5 NO.9 BOOKS 76 Nancy Cartwright’s Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy Liam Liebling reviews Nancy Cartwright’s new book in which she discusses her career as every- one’s favorite troublemaker Bart Simpson. SOFTWARE 77 Puffin Designs’ Primatte Keyer For Adobe After Effects Bruce Manning drags a mouse wired to his Mac G4 through this new tool and reveals that no person wearing a blue shirt against a blue screen is too tough for this matte creating program. Happy compositing is here again. NEWS 79 Animation World News Toy Story 2 Rules Annie Awards, Imax Abandons Shrek 3D, AtomFilms & Lucas Online Create Star Wars Fan Film Site, Voiceover Casting Site Goes Live, Sony Cuts UK PlayStation 2 Shipment 2000 and much more. 81 Next Issue’s Highlights 6 This Month’s Contributors Cover: VWE’s VR System, Battletech, proves that it’s got game. © Virtual World Entertainment, LLC. ECEMBER D © Animation World Network 2000. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network. ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE December20004 Editor’s Notebook by Heather Kenyon ically violent and sexual material. viewers outside of Japan were When I explain that there is anime able to see all of the different types for pre-schoolers, house wives, of animation that the country is professionals, teen girls and producing? What if Vampire beyond they are amazed. The mis- Hunter D is able to secure access understandings even creep into to theatres worldwide? Would the professional world as Andrew general viewers be astonished by Osmond’s “Anime Debate” shows. the look and feel of the picture? Whether we are discussing Imax Would they then want more? After or anime we come to the same reading Fred Patten’s article, dilemma which is being given the “Vampire Hunter D: The Next opportunity to reach viewers. Anime Hit in America?” I knew I Getting to the people… Imax seemed to be a great wanted to see the film and others hope for animation after the suc- like it. Once again, all we can do is nce again while putting cess of Fantasia/2000. People, hope that a bold soul will take this together this issue of two especially independents, saw this risk and we will be rewarded by Oseemingly completely dif- as a great possibility. ‘What if an the opportunity of seeing these ferent themes, a similarity animated short was placed in front different types of animation. It is appeared to me. Location-based of every Imax feature?’ or ‘What if almost as if whether or not audi- entertainment is a huge umbrella more art driven animation features ences like these new shows and which covers many different areas were produced strictly for Imax?’ films is a moot point. The point is from arcades and theme parks to Festivals and beyond were filled the right to be able to see them. experimental virtual reality proj- with this buzz. Now, with hard On the other end of the ects. We chose to include Imax times hitting theatre chains and spectrum is the Internet. Urban theatres under this title because even harder times hitting Imax all Entertainment is a great example the massive screens are still gener- this talk has gone suddenly quiet. of what the Internet promised to ally rare outside of major cities and Karl Cohen’s “Imax May Be The do from its onset. The Internet urban areas, making them a spe- Greatest Film Delivery System Ever promised to give everyone their cial destination or location to Developed, But Will It Prosper?” own “channel.” And while many attend. Plus, the theatres are usu- defines the issues and offers looked forward to this day with ally located by other entertain- insight. Will our opportunity to great anticipation, they were dis- ment venues, be it an amusement reach audiences through this appointed to see it gobbled up by park, museum or shopping/enter- dynamic screening environment mega-corporations. However, tainment complex. “Anime” is also be shattered before we are ever Urban Entertainment is not only a gigantic umbrella which covers truly given the chance? How providing talented African- Japan’s vast expanse of animation would an audience re-act to see- American creators a distribution production. However, like Imax, in ing our independent “art” films on outlet, they are also proving that most parts of the world outside of this huge screen? Would they love niche programming, if it is good Japan, we see only the tip of the them? Would they want more? and of high quality, can be appeal- anime iceberg. I am always cor- Let’s keep our fingers crossed that ing to an audience beyond the recting people who believe that we get a chance to find out. niche. Lee Dannacher’s article, anime is only composed of graph- In the same vein, what if “UrbanEntertainment: Siting A ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE December20005 Skyline Across The Net,” clearly apply to their business. Espinho defines this company which is started its festival not knowing that movin’ on up. it would produce an ASIFA- And finally the most direct International president and a win- way of reaching people is in per- ner of one of the most notorious son.