Table of Contents

JANUARY 2001 VOL.5 NO.10 4 Editor’s Notebook What’s to look forward to?

5 Letters: [email protected] THE PROSPECTS OF 2001

7 Down and Out in Toon Town:The Status of Animation Jobs in the United States Lately it seems as if everyone is out of work or in jeopardy. Has the local animation biz gone bust due to globalization? A normal downward cycle? Or is something else to blame? Ilene Renee Gannaway investigates.

11 Debris from Dot Com Crash Hits Animators As the glow fades off the Internet rose, Michael Hurwicz takes a look at animation on the Internet, a young industry already at a crossroads.

18 Finding Lucy While the Internet is the latest “killer app,” it is in fact in search of an identity and unique purpose. Eric Oldrin offers some insight into the Internet’s future.

22 Movie! Movie! Fearless Martin “Dr. Toon” Goodman makes his predictions regarding 2001’s major animated feature film releases. Will he do better this year than last?

2001 27 Outside the Bubble:What the Main Street Papers Say In the animation community, we hold high expectations for the animated feature film to break out of its “kid’s only” realm. However, what do editors from papers across the U.S. have to say? Joan Kim surveys these hometown gurus on the status of animation.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES 29 Beyond Good and Evil: Piotr Dumala’s Crime and Punishment Chris Robinson interviews Polish independent animator Piotr Dumala regarding his latest masterpiece, Crime and Punishment, leading to a discussion of his unique plaster technique, Hitchcock and post-war Poland. QuickTime movie clip available online!

32 The Philosophical Stone of Animation Somewhere in between still images and motion is a moment of transmutation, or pure magic, that transfixes many of our animation masters. Here Piotr Dumala expands on this notion, comparing animation to the mysterious science of alchemy.

37 The Animation Pimp This month the Animation Pimp, Chris Robinson, discusses how traveling is really just waitin’. STUDENT CORNER

39 Joshua Seth’s 10 Steps to Voice Over Success.

ANUARY It is a new year and you still want to be a voice over artist, so here’s a few tips from working voice over actor Joshua Seth. INTERNET COMPANY PROFILE J

41 Flinch:The House That Flash Built Flinch Studio is turning heads with such beloved hits as Stainboy. Gregory Singer takes a closer look at this intensely Flash-loving group that walks the careful line between business and art.

© Animation World Network 2001. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January20011 Table of Contents

JANUARY 2001 VOL.5 NO.10 THEME PARKS 47 Men In Black Goes Into the Dark Once again Universal Studios Florida’s newest attraction — the largest dark ride to date — is a show stopper featuring Men In Black and new technology. Jacquie Kubin offers a trip inside. FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

49 A Look At Europe’s Cartoon Forum with John Bullivant Cartoon Forum is helping to build Europe into a powerful animation force. TV-Loonland’s John Bullivant discusses this past year’s Forum and how this precious tool might evolve into the new millennium.

59 Since September Let’s check in with a few of the participants from this past year’s Cartoon Forum and see where Gotland’s leads have taken them. Participants include: Honeycomb Animation, Artoon S.A., Fictitious Egg and Sav! The World Productions.

FILMS, VIDEOS AND DVDs

61 Fresh From The Festivals Maureen Furniss reviews the following short films: Janno Poldma’s On the Possibility of Love, Just in Time by Kirsten Winter, Stephen X. Arthur’s Vision Point, Passport by Siri Melchior and The Scarecrow by Cheryl Meier. Go online to see a QuickTime movie clip from each of the 2001 featured films!

65 Catch the DVD of Chicken Run Jacquie Kubin describes what is in store when it comes to the new Chicken Run Special Edition DVD.

67 New from Japan:Anime Film Reviews Fred Patten reviews the latest anime releases including: The Legend of Black Heaven, Samurai X: Rurouni Kenshin, Virgin Fleet, Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise and Sol Bianca: The Legacy.

NEWS

72 Animation World News Fox Loses Interest in Icebox’s Zombie College, EM.TV Investors Take Company To Court, NATPE 2001, Roars Of Controversy Over Dinosaur In Italy, Flintstones/Jetsons’ Composer Curtin Passes, Dune Mini-Series Marks Sci-Fi History and much more.

74 Next Issue’s Highlights 5 This Month’s Contributors Cover: Airing on shockwave.com, Tim Burton’s Stainboy is produced by Flinch Studio using Flash animation and is an excellent example of some of the best content the currently

ANUARY be-leaguered Web has to offer. © Shockwave.com. J

© Animation World Network 2001. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January20012 What the Main Street Papers Say.” In an attempt to gage where the Editor’s Notebook general audience stands regard- ing animated features, we decid- ed to poll the folks writing the by Heather Kenyon movie reviews and news in news- papers all over America. Their What’s to look forward to? Out in Toon Town,” artists are answers are more than insightful going to have to train and re-train and reveal we still have a way to uring December 1999 in order to stay competitive in this go before animation is regarded as most people were either quickly changing, technology merely a storytelling technique Dbusy worrying about the focused world. The number of and not a kid’s only, comedy Y2K bug, planning a memorable skills one has just may be the genre. way to ring in the new millennium knight in shining armor. From Also in our coverage of the or desperately trying to sell a Web theme parks to gaming, our next year ahead we have paid special cartoon…things have definitely issue’s topic, artists that were for- attention to Cartoon Forum, an changed. By December 2000 peo- merly employed in the animation event that is helping to build ple were busy worrying about field might need to diversify in Europe into a powerful animation paying their mortgage, planning order to keep working. force. memorable, but inexpensive, holi- In this issue we are also tak- Finally, please do not over- day gifts and desperately trying to ing a look at the current number look Piotr Dumala’s inspiring and sell anything, anywhere. In this of dot coms that are downsizing thought-provoking essay “The issue we take a look at the big and shutting their doors. Like pio- Philosophical Stone of Animation.” issues that are facing the industry neers setting out into the wild, Fresh from completing his latest at this seemingly dark and precipi- wild west, many didn’t realize how tour de force Crime and Punish- tous time. long the journey to the promised ment, Piotr offers us insight as to Animation has enjoyed land was or how dry and inhos- why he has devoted thousands of almost supernatural booms for pitable the climate in between. In his life’s hours to creating the mas- over a decade. When television “Debris from Dot Com Crash Hits terful animation that we have all began to fizzle…along came Animators,” Michael Hurwicz takes come to anticipate in his films. cable…when cable began to fiz- a look at animation on the Internet So, what is there to look zle… along came the joys of home and how its rise and fall has influ- forward to? Well, what is going to video…when home video began enced the careers of several inde- happen next? Where will the to lose its cool…along came the pendent animators. We also have industry shift and turn and where animated feature film rush…when a treat in that Eric Oldrin, a will enterprising artists (like those those studios began to dwindle… Webisode producing veteran, is that created Flinch Studios) turn along came the Internet…now sharing his insight on why the up next? These are the answers the Internet is seeming to fizzle Internet hasn’t yet lived up to all that are worth looking forward to. and our next knight in shining that it is supposed to be. You’ll armor is not arriving on the hori- want to read “Finding Lucy,” to Happy New Year to all of you. zon. In fact, he seems to be learn more. retreating with all the former sav- While feature animation Until Next Time, iors as well. While we all know ani- releases are always a “cross your Heather mation is a cyclical industry it is fingers and see” affair, 2001 has a hard to take that with a grain of full slate of potential hits and dis- salt when you are standing in the asters. Fearless Martin “Dr. Toon” unemployment line. It is also hard Goodman is taking another stab at to hear that there are more anima- predicting the upcoming year’s hits tion opportunities now than and misses. Another very interest- ever before… As Ilene Renee ing experiment to check out is Gannaway states in “Down and Joan Kim’s “Outside the Bubble:

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January20014 [email protected] Another Missing Laugh-O- information on the novels by Mr. Gram Kikuchi and write-ups of Mr. I read with interest “A Silent Kikuchi’s Talk Live get-togethers. Treasure Chest” (Osmond, 4.2) by The web site is maintained by me, ANIMATION WORLD NETWORK 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 600 Andrew Osmond regarding David Cathy Krusberg. The index page Los Angeles, CA 90036 Wyatt’s findings of the two Laugh- (http://www.altvampyres.net/vhd Phone : 323.634.3400 Fax : 323.634.3350 O-Gram cartoons. Great job! In my /) states, “The Vampire Hunter D Email : [email protected] research for The Hand Behind the Archives are owned by ckberg@ Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story, I dis- ix.netcom.com,” and a number of covered that there is yet another pages at the site use my name and film that is still missing — Jack and a link to the same e-mail address. the Giant Killer. A lot of folks I read your article via a link [email protected] assume that this is just an alterna- from Urban Vision’s page tive title for Jack and the Beanstalk (http://www.urban-vision. PUBLISHERS Ron Diamond, President but it is in actuality a different com/enter.html). (One of those Dan Sarto, Chief Operating Officer Celtic fairy tale — that of a Valiant annoying ones that puts your Tailor (or Brave Little Tailor in page inside and keeps the original EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Disney parlance). Both feature a site URL at the top of the browser. Heather Kenyon protagonist named Jack. Both fea- Grr…..) ASSOCIATE EDITOR ture a giant, but there the similari- Rick DeMott ties cease. According to several Cathy Krusberg documents in the Laugh-O-Gram EDITORIAL ADMINISTRATOR bankruptcy proceedings, both wtttw Joan H. Kim films were completed by the stu- CONTRIBUTORS dio and were part of the missing Kudos on running the real- Rick DeMott assets (that the litigants wanted ly wonderful, informative “Vampire Piotr Dumala Maureen Furniss, Ph.D. back from Pictorial Clubs). So, FYI, Hunter D: The Next Anime Hit in Ilene Renee Gannaway there’s some fun info! America?” (Patten, 5.9) about the Martin “Dr. Toon” Goodman new Vampire Hunter D. It’s one of Michael Hurwicz Heather Kenyon John Kenworthy the first I’ve read outside of reviews Joan Kim that really says something of sub- Jacquie Kubin Eric Oldrin Vampire Hunter D Correction stance about the film and gives Fred Patten Fred Patten’s story “Vampire more than vague information Chris Robinson Joshua Seth Hunter D: The Next Anime Hit in about the North American release. Gregory Singer America?” (Patten, 5.9) contains a I did, however, want to Paul Younghusband factual error. The end of the article mention that author Fred Patten says: got an attribution wrong in the OPERATIONS [Thanks for information on last paragraph of the article. He Annick Teninge, General Manager Hideyuki Kikuchi and his Vampire credits Kevin Leahy with being the DESIGN/LAYOUT Hunter D novels to the Vampire owner of the Vampire Hunter D Alex Binotapa Hunter D Archives website Archives (http://www.altvam (http://www.altvampyres.net/vhd pyres.net/vhd), but it’s in fact main- WEBMASTERS /) run by Kevin Leahy, an American tained by Cathy Krusberg, an Jeremy Keller Alex Binotapa horror fan living in Japan.] American fan who can be reached The Vampire Hunter D at [email protected]. I would ADVERTISING SALES Archives is not maintained by guess Patten got it wrong after Jay Stokes Kevin Leahy. He is the source of reading the reviews of the

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January20015 Vampire Hunter D novels that are Reading how “Everything is possi- opinions is rong in America. archived at the site, as they are by ble!” when you’re having a hard Kevin Leahy and used with per- time in this field is not always reas- Tanks fer ritin’ mission. I hope that clears things suring. Kris Robonson up. Even when I disagree with Ottowa, Kanada Fierlinger, I like this article as it is Erin Cochran casual and savvy, wisely pessimistic Note: Readers may contact any and straight up. Also Fierlinger’s Animation World Magazine Editor’s Note: Thank you Cathy experiences with communism are contributor by sending an e-mail and Erin for setting us straight! The interesting. to [email protected]. error has been corrected on the page and I thank you for bringing Thanks, it to our attention. Marne Manoukian

Paul Fierlinger A Rebuttle The interview with Paul A response to David J. Fierlinger, “What Price, Billings’ Letter to the Editor, Independence?” (Kilmer, 4.2), is December 2000: “Really…Is This truly one of the best selected. It is Necessary?” a bit long and sometimes Fierlinger can seem negative, but Deer Mr.Billings, his frankness and honesty are extremely refreshing. i is sooori u did not like my riting. i I can only read so many is also soori four having articles by pros who have suc- opynions. i forget sometimes that ceeded before I begin to shrink. thinking is wrong and having

Bonus HTML Features

Every on-line (HTML) issue of Animation World Magazine contains additional features not found in the download or print Acrobat version, such as Quicktime movies, links to Animation World Network sites, extended articles and special sections. Don’t miss the following highlights that are showcased exclusively in this month’s Animation World Magazine HTML version:

• Beyond Good and Evil: Piotr Dumala’s Crime and Punishment Chris Robinson interviews Polish independent animator Piotr Dumala regarding his latest masterpiece, Crime and Punishment, leading to a discussion of his unique plaster technique, Hitchcock and post-war Poland. Download and view a QuickTime movie clip online at: http://www.awn.com/mag/issue5.10/5.10pages/robinsondumala.php3.

• Fresh From The Festivals Maureen Furniss reviews the following short films: Janno Poldma’s On the Possibility of Love, Just in Time by Kirsten Winter, Stephen X. Arthur’s Vision Point, Passport by Siri Melchior and The Scarecrow by Cheryl Meier. QuickTime movie clips of each of these films are available for download online at: http://www.awn.com/mag/issue5.10/5.10pages/5.10festival.php3.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January20016 Down and Out in Toon Town: The Status of Animation Jobs in the United States by Ilene Renee Gannaway h, those glory days. Are Athey gone for good? Just six years ago, Disney’s animated feature The Lion King grossed $300 million, making it the number one box-office hit for 1994 and one of the largest gross- ing films in history. As a result, Simba wasn’t the only one crowned king. The American Animator took his place on a new cinematic throne where he called the literal and figurative shots, reaped countless perks, gar- nered high salaries and enjoyed free lunches at DreamWorks. As a Times ain’t all that good in Los Angeles… lowly executive at Turner Feature Animation during the height of Jeff Massie, the union’s recording Hulett. “Board artists, more or less, the boom, I often found myself secretary, estimates that the union are employed or at least partially thinking, ‘If only I could draw like has approximately 1,000 fewer employed. Television timing direc- those unbelievably talented ani- people working in union shops tors are underemployed but not mators…hell, if only I could than they did three years ago. unemployed.” draw…the world would be mine.’ According to a recent LA When one looks at the big But this is America, not El Times article, union president Tom picture, it appears that the three Dorado, and here everything that Sito is baffled at the current statis- main causes for this increase in goes up must come down — tics. Notes Sito, “This year, there unemployment are feature anima- eventually. While the ‘90s signaled are seven features being released, tion downsizing, overseas anima- an animator’s market, the 10 new network television series, tion jobs, and, indirectly, the rise of Millennium, it would seem, favors several prime-time series, more computer animation. the financial interests of the stu- Internet work and cable than ever dios. This is, of course, bad news before, yet we’ve lost … a good Studio Downsizing for the American Animator King. third of our total jobs.” Hulett believes the anima- According to Steve Hulett, And who exactly is out-of- tion industry is and has always business representative for M.P.S.C. work? “The people who are unem- been cyclical. “The chronology of Local 839 IATSE, the Motion ployed right now would be, in the the industry was up and down, Picture Screen Cartoonists Union, biggest market, clean-up artists spotty in the late ‘80s,” remarks about 35 percent of their current who don’t have CGI (computer- Hulett. “Then The Little Mermaid 3,000 members are unemployed. generated imagery) skills,” says hit, followed by Disney’s other hit

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January20017 features including Beauty and the features a year — and every one Animation veterans also Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. touted as an “event” — and other point to another reason for the Every other studio decided they studios racing to deliver what they downsizing. Many television net- had to get into the animation busi- perceived as guaranteed money- works and feature film corpora- ness. They couldn’t ignore billion makers, the market became overly- tions rushed into animation, but dollar, world-wide grosses. saturated. when it came time to market the “So the industry really heat- products to the public, they were ed up to unprecedented heights baffled. So while animation artists through the mid ‘90s,” he contin- created great products, they didn’t ues. “Since 1997, we’ve had Fox catch on and make money. Phoenix close. Warners has not Confused by the needs of this new gone away but has downsized medium and surprised by the nec- considerably. DreamWorks has essary commitment to generate a downsized and Disney has down- hit, many outlets decided to stop sized, so you’re faced with a thou- ordering animation, rather than sand or more jobs that have been spend the time and money need- lost.” ed to become experts in the field. Apparently, the animation boom that exploded in the ‘90s Overseas Animation was too good to last. Barry Weiss, One of the biggest threats senior vice president of animation to American animation employ- production at Sony Pictures ment is the use of overseas talent. Imageworks attributes this fall to Steve Hulett with Rudy Cataldi Television animators, more so than at the PBS. © AWN, Inc. the normal fluctuations any indus- feature animators, are the ones try faces. “Like any other business, A similar situation can be most likely to suffer from American the [animation] industry overbuilt applied to television animation. studios sending work overseas and now there’s a lot of vacan- Hulett believes that instead of and American networks purchas- cies,” he explains. “People aren’t focusing on producing quality ing foreign animated programs. buying as much as they were. But American shows, the studios Once again, Hulett states that cost it’s all relative. In other words, if the “want to make money as quickly plays a big role. level of employment was a 2 in the as possible.” It’s easier and cheaper “In television, you’ve got a beginning of the ‘90s, and the to purchase the Japanese-pro- glut of foreign animation,” he says. level of employment was a 10 in duced Pokémon than it is to do a “You have studios like Warner Bros. ‘96/‘97, it’s probably back down to show like Animaniacs. and Fox Kids who have picked up a 7 or an 8. So it’s still a helluva lot “The studios, Warners and Japanese animation for the first healthier than it was 10 years ago, others, are more impatient with time and have had pretty good but it’s definitely come off its peak.” deficit financing than making a success with it, and it cost them One reason why it might profit down the road,” explains practically nothing.” Many fear this seem there are more people Hulett. “So hey if you could pick trend will grow. unemployed in the business is that up Pokémon for $10,000 an Mark Kausler, an animator schools have done a remarkable episode and then spend $10,000 who has worked in the business job of pumping out employable dubbing it and slightly editing it, for almost 30 years, believes that talent. So while a lot of these new- that’s 20,000 bucks and you’re in “overseas” and “animation” have comers have been soaked into the the profits immediately.” become synonymous. “I think system a number haven’t been or Since most of our anima- most producers now think of ani- have displaced people who have tion studios are branches of major mation as something that’s done been employed for a long time. corporations, profit margins are in another country,” he laments. Also, feature animation closely watched. After all, profits “They don’t even think there are may have suffered from a case of directly correlate to stock prices by American animators at all. too much too soon. With Disney which many executives live and Animation is a commodity that releasing at least two animated die. may or may not be prepared here

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January20018 as far as the story goes, but is est of studios to use domestic tal- for it. Union members voiced their always done somewhere else as ent only. Why limit ourselves to anger by picketing in front of PBS far as the animation/final artwork one vision, they ask, when there last spring. goes.” are artists all over the world who Veteran animation writer Weiss maintains a very Jeffrey Scott (Dragon Tales, Jim pragmatic view of the situation, Henson’s Muppet Babies) admitting that while it may be expressed his utter stupefaction in cheaper to produce animation a recent article to Animation overseas, the major sacrifice Magazine, opining, “I find it offen- comes in the form of loss of cre- sive that my tax dollars are paying ative control. “Look, the prefer- for programs that not only am I ence for everybody is to keep your Tom Sito, Union President, has long prevented from working on, but fought for artist rights. supply line short. Do the work that reduce by six the number of locally, you’ll have more creative can bring so much to the medi- shows that I or my colleagues control over the product. When um? might have had a chance to sell.” you get your budget, you look at “Unfortunately for the Donna Williams, director of it and start saying, ‘How do I get workforce [using overseas labor] program press relations at PBS, 10 pounds into a five pound bag? does divide up the employment,” counters these objections with a What stays in that bag and what Graziano remarks. “But ultimately few facts. “Less than four percent goes someplace else?’ There’s for the audiences, it can provide of our programming involves always trade-off here. You’re trad- them with a much richer fare of Canadian production companies,” ing creative control to the extent programming.” she says. “It’s not that we seek part- that it represents quality. You’re PBS — Animation’s Benedict nerships with Canadian com- trading that off for the ability to Arnold? panies. We’re looking for good get it done.” Virtually no one will deny programming. And if a particular Stephanie Graziano, presi- the fact that we are living in an product fits our mission, that’s dent of programming, production increasingly global world, and that great and we’ll go with it.” and network development at lots of people in other industries Williams echoes Graziano’s Bohbot Kids Network (Roswell have already lost their jobs to for- global views by adding that PBS Conspiracies), doesn’t see any real eign competition. However, many does not necessarily mean trade-offs or significant sacrifices U.S. animators feel an unforgiv- American products solely. “We also where overseas animation is con- able line was crossed in August of deal with international broadcast- cerned. BKN is a global, primarily 1999 when it was announced PBS ers,” she states. As PBS’s mission German, television and video ani- (Public Broadcasting System) statement avows, “enriching the mation company with offices in allegedly signed a $40 million pro- lives of all Americans through qual- Germany, France and the U.K. duction deal with Canadian- ity programs and education ser- While their development and based, TV animation production vices that inform, inspire and directing talent is based in Los company, Nelvana. A press release delight,” means PBS will not limit Angeles, “We really look to utilize last August stated that Nelvana itself to the domestic sphere. the resources in all the different will “produce the network’s first Rather it must “deal with the countries that we have offices in as ever Saturday morning children’s world.” well as other countries that have programming block…for the U.S. Williams adds that in addi- talented resources,” says Graziano. public network’s Fall 2000 pro- tion to the Nelvana shows, PBS “There’s a vast amount of talent in gram season.” programs a variety of American the U.S. It isn’t always accessible, it Such a move prompted shows. Among them are Clifford isn’t always affordable, and it isn’t angry outrage on behalf of Los the Big Red Dog, J.J. The Jet Plane always in the scope of how we Angeles animators who felt and Dragon Tales. want to get a specific project pro- betrayed and “slapped in the Still, these facts do not mol- duced.” face.” It’s one thing for animation lify the majority of U.S. animators As Graziano concedes, it is jobs to go overseas; it’s another for who believe that, as Hulett puts it, not always in the best artistic inter- the American government to pay “Your tax dollars are paying to put

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January20019 you out of a job.” For an animator like Kausler Says Hulett, “I think the Moreover, while the above who has been drawing since he industry is going to continue to shows may be conceived in the was eight years-old, learning to grow overall, but people are U.S., they are not completely pro- computer animate is a bit of an going to have to retrain like mad duced in the U.S. As Kausler men- emotional challenge. “I’m doing a to stay current. tioned it is now very unusual for little experimental study in Maya. “There’s going to be differ- television animation to be done I’m figuring it out, but very little of ent layers and levels of employ- domestically. Furthermore after it has the feel of animation,” ment,” he adds, “and I think peo- years in the business, countries like Kausler remarks. “It feels like learn- ple will find that overall the anima- Korea are becoming extremely ing a lot of menus and com- tion industry (including CGI ani- proficient not only at animation, mands. You can get used to them, mation, traditional animation, tele- but layout, digital ink and paint but I don’t know if I would ever vision animation, theatrical anima- and other previously U.S.-based have the love for them that I have tion, live-action visual effects) is production steps. Plus, they too for drawing.” merging. It’s all becoming a big are integrating the newest tech- Weiss understands this frus- ball of the same kind of stuff. If you nology into their production rou- tration, but agrees with Hulett that know where to look for work and tines in order to remain competi- retraining is utterly necessary to an if you have the right, marketable tive when faced with newer ani- animator’s future. “If you were a skills, [animation] is still very lucra- mation nations like India. From carpenter and someone handed tive and fulfilling. For those who central Europe to Vietnam, more you a powersaw and you’ve been aren’t trained for the future, it’s countries are competing for ani- working your whole life with a gonna be much, much more diffi- mation work than ever before. handsaw, you’re going to take a cult. I think that’s just the reality.” As frustrating as this whole, step back,” says Weiss. “Eventually So, hopefully, just as the overseas situation may be for job- you are going to work faster, prob- once-exiled Simba returned to less animators, Graziano would ably be able to do more with the Pride Rock stronger than ever, the like to remind them that they are powersaw. But initially you’re American Animator King can make not alone. “There are many, many going to miss the handsaw a significant comeback. industries in our country specifical- because you knew exactly what to ly who have gone through this. It’s do with it.” not something that I think we can Imageworks, thus far, has Ilene Renee Gannaway is a free- do much about.” been very successful at training lance writer who served as traditional animators in computer Director of Development for Looking To The Future animation programs. And the Turner Feature Animation and as But surely there must be Union is in the process of working Manager of Development, something animators can do. Both under an H1B grant to retrain a lot Motion Pictures for Hanna- Weiss and Hulett believe that of their members. Does this mean Barbera Cartoons. She is currently something is computer animation. 2D animation is dead? Hulett pursuing her Master’s Degree In fact, Hulett has been encourag- doesn’t think so. in English Literature and after ing traditional animators to get “Two-D animation will not graduation will, like many anim- skilled in such programs as Maya, go away,” he remarks. “It will ation folks, be in need of a job. Photoshop and Renderman. mutate and change, but it’ll still be “CGI is where the industry there in some way, shape or form. is going,” says Hulett. “And the I see new technology continuing Note: Readers may contact any more arrows somebody has in to develop and layer over old tech- Animation World Magazine their quiver, the more marketable, nology.” contributor by sending an e-mail the more employable they are. So essentially employability to [email protected]. There is a great need and a lot of in animation is not just a case of people end up getting hired and who you know, but what you employed, especially when they know. In the end, it’s simple. The have an artistic background, in more skills an animator has, the those programs.” more employable he or she is.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200110 Debris from Dot Com Crash Hits Animators by Michael Hurwicz he dot com crash has dot coms, including online enter- killed many Internet- tainment companies. Companies Tfocused business ventures, like AtomFilms, iFilm and massacred stock prices, vaporized MediaTrip, who are dedicated to investors. Fortunes have been lost, distributing visual entertainment careers mauled. over the Internet, scour the world Like other Internet sectors for material to fill their sites. Each is (and animation sectors for that trying to get bigger and better, matter), online entertainment faster than its competitors. overbuilt and suffered the wreck- Content acquisition executives are ing ball. As recently as early 2000, particularly looking for short ani- Exit 109, part of JibJab’s toon line-up that there was a voracious market for makes use of the Internet integrating mations, which offer quick down- short, attention-grabbing Flash simple game playing along with the pres- loads and viewing for impatient animations for the Web. Today, entation. © JibJab Media, Inc.All rights Netizens. In particular, online reserved. opportunities are largely drying entertainment sites favor anima- up, along with the flow of venture multimedia in the medium and for tions in the Flash format, because capital. The mood of euphoria has the long term. There are and will of the wide support for Flash in been replaced by one of caution. continue to be significant opportu- browsers. Animators capable of Still, there is some good nities on the Internet for inde- producing short, entertaining news: major competitors biting pendent animators. Flash animations find sky-high the dust (at least temporarily) leave demand for their skills and prod- the field clearer for those who Tales from the Golden Age uct. remain. In addition, both the con- Return with us now to In March, 1999, unknown tinued advance of technology and those thrilling days of yesteryear: independent animators Mark the increasing sophistication of late 1999 and early 2000. Brooks and Peter Gilstrap submit- Internet users, favor the growth of Investors are pouring money into ted a 23-minute pilot Creamburg to HBO. Brooks did the animation, and Gilstrap much of the writing. “I did it in Flash, just because it was cheap,” says Brooks. That turned out to be a fortunate choice. Although they had not submitted the tape to MediaTrip, someone there saw the pilot. MediaTrip quickly made an offer to fund it. The creators couldn’t accept the offer though, because HBO was still considering Creamburg. Instead, Brooks and MediaTrip.com’s successful original series Mark Brooks and Peter Gilstrap, series Gilstrap conceived another anima- Creamburg. © 1999-2000 MediaTrip.com, creators of Creamburg and Lil’ Pimp. Inc. All rights reserved. © 1999-2000 MediaTrip.com, Inc. tion, Li’l Pimp, for which MediaTrip All rights reserved. funded production. Eventually,

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200111 HBO passed on Creamburg and Another piece was sub-licensed to in New York City, got his first paid MediaTrip took that as well. From Mad TV. All in all, JibJab did three work on the Net at the end of that exposure, Brooks and Gilstrap deals with AtomFilms, as well as 1999, doing a series of animations got work doing two-minute deals with Yahoo and Shockwave. based on his Bulbo character for Creamburg interstitials for the One of their animations, Capitol Ill, the Hotwired Animation Express. etelevision cable channel. They a Bush/Gore rap, was used in an He also got hired to do anim- were also hired to do Flash anima- Altoids commercial. ations for sci-fi.com, a site con- tion for The Slim Shady Show for nected with the science-fiction rapper Eminem. In August, 2000, cable channel. Revolution Studios, which is Pay was originally low, says closely linked with MediaTrip, Feinberg, but it was okay because announced a full length Li’l Pimp he could produce the content feature film for 2001. Brooks’ and quickly (he draws directly in Flash Gilstrap’s Creative Men Productions using only a mouse), and with a will produce, script and manage staff of “one and a half” — himself the creative aspects of the movie. plus a part-time assistant. In addition, they have majority Feinberg connected with ownership of the project. JibJab’s Capitol Ill, a political rap spoof Icebox when it launched in teaming Al Gore and George W. Bush, January, 2000. He quickly got an has proven to bring back viewers. © JibJab Media, Inc.All rights reserved. assignment to develop two series, Hard Drinkin’ Lincoln and Queer Another Net winner is New Duck, in collaboration with Mike York-based independent animator Reiss, executive producer of The Bill Plympton. Already an estab- Simpsons. Meanwhile, Bulbo lished cartoonist, he contacted moved on from Hotwired to AtomFilms late in 1999. They Mondo Media. In both cases, he bought exclusive rights to his was paid to produce the content entire library for two years. In addi- and shares in ongoing revenues. tion to sharing banner ad rev- Big players were on the JibJab founders, Gregg (“Jib,” right) enue, the material is licensed to move, too. For instance, the and Evan (“Jab,” left) Spiridellis. airlines and TV stations, as well as Digital Entertainment Network © JibJab Media, Inc.All rights reserved. other dot coms. (DEN) showed short films and tel- Brooklyn, New York-based Xeth Feinberg, also based evision-style shows aimed at 14- to JibJab Media was formed late in 1999 by Gregg and Evan Spiridellis. Neither of the founders were in the animation industry, nor were any of the half dozen or so artists they eventually hired. They were illustrators, photogra- phers, painters. But, seeing an opportunity in the Web, they learned Flash and turned out some short, funny animations, such as rap parodies of the found- ing fathers. In short order, JibJab cut a deal with AtomFilms, who put the animations on their site and ultimately licensed them to the history channel to promote a Icebox’s Hard Drinkin’ Lincoln presents Abraham Lincoln: statesman, leader, beloved miniseries on the founding fathers. President — and America’s favorite boozehound! © 2000 Mishmash Media/Icebox, Inc.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200112 24-year-olds, attracting major backers such as Dell Computer, Enron, Intel, Microsoft and NBC. Frank Mancuso, former chairman and chief executive of Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer, joined the board of directors in February. Then, DreamWorks SKG and Imagine Entertainment announced pop.com, a site that would launch in the spring with a mix of animated and live-action short films.

After the Deluge Then came the crash. One early sign came in February, when DEN withdrew its $75 million initial public offering, on the same day two top execu- tives, Chairman and CEO Jim Ritts Plympton’s Seasons is a Flash animation that deviates from his traditional, albeit and Chief Operating Officer Bruce inimitable, sight gags and instead meditates on the nature of time. © AtomFilms. Gamache, announced their deci- sion to leave the company. Today, “After Pop’s downfall, the sharing in ad revenues anyway, or www.den.com is “server not buzz has dissipated,” says Evan getting any direct revenue from found.” Spiridellis of JibJab Media. “Before, the site. Animators put their work Pop.com abandoned its friends on the West Coast were on iFilm for feedback and expo- original plans before their first calling every day, wanting to learn sure. But even if iFilm did share short aired on the Web. Today, its Flash. All of a sudden, they’re not revenues (as AtomFilms does, for original plans lying amidst the dot calling. Or they’re calling, but instance), you wouldn’t want to com rubble, pop.com is offering they’re not talking about online count on paying the rent with the trailers for The Nutty Professor and content.” proceeds. the latest Brad Pitt/Julia Roberts “The Internet offers a lot of movie. Picking Up the Pieces possibilities for independent ani- Opportunities for quick suc- Even post-crash, more ani- mators: new audiences and rev- cess have largely dried up. mations are seen every day on the enue streams, new venues. But it’s Internet. However, banner ads are very difficult as a complete and typically the only direct revenue sole business,” says Eric Calderon, generated from them, and that a development executive at doesn’t amount to much. AtomFilms. Advertisers typically pay sites $10 “A new business model has to $20 per thousand views for to arise,” says Brooks. “Content has banner ads. On iFilm (one of the to be paid for, otherwise no one is few sites to reveal how many hits going to pay you to do it.” a particular movie gets), the most- “It’s been a grim ending to watched animation of all time, The the year for a lot of people,” says Biliad, had just under 36,000 hits Gilstrap. “Asking people about ani- JibJab’s Geezers presents Leo and Cicero when we checked in December, mation on the Internet now is like who know a thing or two about bingo, 2000. That would be $360 to asking survivors from Custer’s last Denny’s discounts and moons over my hammy. © JibJab Media, Inc. $720 in banner ad income. stand about their career in the mil- All rights reserved. On iFilm, animators aren’t itary. We’ve been fortunate that

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200113 ple is a free email service that includes a blurb about the service at the bottom of each message.) Within the online market- ing space, JibJab is looking for out- lets other than the client’s Website as well. “There are a hundred other ways to get content out there: email, PDAs, third party sites not related to the client site,” says Gregg Spiridellis. JibJab is also building a library of characters that could be spokesmascots for certain brands. Continuously finding projects in In Ed Anderson’s The Bottle, we find our hero as he is accosted by giant slugs. the marketing space that can pay © AtomFilms. the bills allows JibJab to keep cre- we’ve bounced out of it [into tele- is placing heavy emphasis on syn- ating shorts and putting them vision and movies]. People that are dication — getting content onto online. strictly on the Internet, I wish them multiple big sites, such as Lycos good luck. It’s a tough sell.” and Netscape. If no single site can Like Gilstrap and Brooks, attract enough eyeballs to make Plympton’s Net momentum has online production pay, multiple helped propel offline success. sites may do the trick. Money from AtomFilms helped finance Plympton’s animated fea- New Avenues ture film, Mutant Aliens, opening In addition, in search of at Sundance in 2001. “I wouldn’t outlets for their talents, Flash ani- have been able to make Mutant mators are often branching out Aliens without AtomFilms,” says into advertising and marketing, Another scene from JibJab’s Capitol Ill. © JibJab Media, Inc.All rights reserved. Plympton. fields where demand promises to AtomFilms itself continues grow, if only moderately, in com- One emerging area of to pursue traditional offline outlets ing years. In the December, online advertising that may offer as energetically as online ones. For 2000, report “Streaming Video employment to animators is example, much of AtomFilms’ suc- Advertising: Despite Hype, Limited streaming ad insertion, in which cess with JibJab came in sublicens- Opportunity,” analyst firm Jupiter streaming ad content is inserted ing to ABC and Fox’s Mad TV. They Communications, predicts that by into other streaming content. also do deals with airlines, such as 2003, 20% of online advertising Inserted ads are harder to ignore Air Canada, British Airways, will consist of streaming and rich than banner ads, because they Continental, Cathay Pacific and media (e.g. Flash). appear in the area of the screen United. AtomFilms is investigating JibJab started pursuing where you’re focusing. In addi- new outlets, too. One is hand- these areas intensively in tion, it may be possible to relate held devices, such as pocket PCs. September 2000. “We’re pursuing the ads to the content the user ini- Another is kiosks at malls, where a opportunities in the advertising tially requests, allowing targeted pay-per-view format might work, industry and helping corporate advertising. where targeted advertising would clients create interesting entertain- For these reasons, inserted be a natural, and where long ment-based ‘viral’ marketing cam- ads bring high response rates. download times could be eliminat- paigns,” says Gregg Spiridellis. Thus, for the same number of eye- ed through caching on a local (Viral marketing works by getting balls, advertisers are willing to pay hard disk. users of a service to spread the more for streaming insertion. Mondo Media, meanwhile, word about the service. An exam- (Banner ads cost $10 to $20 per

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200114 thousand views on average; duction house. Akamai is one of moves both Icebox and Wirebreak streaming insertion is usually over the major content delivery net- have laid off staff siting this new $20.) works (CDNs) helping content business model of outsourcing Streaming ad insertion providers speed streaming content their productions. Some Internet could benefit animators in two across the Net. Some sites, such as players like UrbanEntertainment ways: First, as online entertain- iFilm, that offer animated content have never held animators on staff ment sites increase their revenues on the Web already use Akamai’s and have outsourced since day by inserting ads in animations, the CDN services. one. value of those animations increas- The door is not entirely es. Animators could share in those The Bright Side closed to new talent, either. revenues. In addition, animators Even today, those who can play a role in creating stream- have a toehold on the Net are not ing ads. Enterprising animators complaining. For instance, with could even create shorts with ad their early strike-while-the-Net-is- insertion in mind and pitch them hot success and new diversifica- to sponsors. One sure way of get- tion, JibJab is in “great shape,” says ting a favorable reception from a Gregg Spiridellis. “At the end of content distribution site is to the day, [the dot-com crash] helps approach them with a sponsor in us, because we don’t have com- hand. petitors spending tens of millions There are signs that stream- of dollars. We have time to build ing ad insertion is picking up our brand, our audience and our One of Xeth Feinberg’s creations — steam. For instance, in December, business over time.” follow Bulbo as he strolls through Akamai announced its MediaPlus Feinberg also sees a bright many adventures. © 2000 Mishmash Media/Icebox, Inc. Advertising service, to help stream- side to the dot com crash. “So far ing content providers insert ads. my income has not gone down. In “The number of companies Ads are provided by Engage and fact, a lot of dot coms are now and Websites that will air that con- Hitplay Media, two of the biggest outsourcing more production. So tent has gone down,” says Philo ad companies on the Net. The first I’m the model for what they want Northrup, director of content two users of the service will be to do. I really think the Internet is acquisition for Mondo Media. iClips, a free service allowing users still an amazing opportunity for “And the bar has gotten higher as to incorporate streaming video animators. In the medium and to what is considered viable con- into email or Websites, and long term view, I’m still very excit- tent, as far as production values, StudioNext, a digital media pro- ed about it.” In fact in recent writing, art direction and music. But there’s still an audience for good ideas well executed. We’re constantly looking at new shows.” Another site that is still acquiring online entertainment is shockwave.com. Possibly the most popular entertainment site on the Net, Shockwave is by no means limited to animated shorts. They have games, music, puzzles and interactive greeting cards. However, they’re still soliciting ani- mations, as well.

Here’s an optimistic forecast Icebox’s Queer Duck tells us that gay doesn’t just mean happy. for animation on the Net: © 2000 Mishmash Media/Icebox, Inc. * Technology continues to

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200115 improve. In particular, bandwidth increases dramatically, so down- load times become negligible. * Audience continues to increase, so that sales numbers become more attractive. * A “micro-payment” infrastructure is developed that allows users to pay small amounts (in the range of a few cents per viewing) conve- niently on the Net.

“The potential for self-distri- bution is vast on the Internet,” says independent animator Corky Quakenbush. “The biggest impact will be when we as artists can reach our audience directly, with- Bill Plympton’s The Secret to Olympic Gold USA asks who needs arms and legs when out the filter of a gauntlet of exec- you’ve got missile mammaries? © AtomFilms. utives who want to shape our have turned off their TVs and 20,000 copies at $7 or $8 a copy, material to their perceptions of booted up. It was the attempt to fit as of August, 2000. The publisher what’s good or sellable.” anarchy into a corporate structure gets 45% of the list price, say Quakenbush believes that which doomed the first phase of $3.50 per copy. Manufacturing will come about through micro- the revolution to failure.” videos in that quantity costs payments, probably within two to Quakenbush also states, “I around $1.50 a copy. Therefore, three years. see the ability to deliver streaming Lucas might have netted “Then we will be able to media on high speed connections $40,000 for its creators through deliver to our fans exactly what we and the availabilty of that technol- amazon.com. want to give them and get paid ogy to the general public coming for our work,” says Quakenbush. about in two to three years. I see Michael Hurwicz believes in fairy Then, he adds, success will relate micro-payment models lagging a tales, cartoons, music, trees and more directly to artistic skill than to bit behind, unfortunately. I hope chocolate. the ability to schmooze the right I’m wrong there... people. “Not that marketing will It remains to be seen how Note: Readers may contact any be nonexistent, but it will not be the corporate mentality will evolve Animation World Magazine the 95% of the game that it is to accommodate the new outlet contributor by sending an e-mail today in moving image art forms.” as well as how the new outlet will to [email protected]. Despite the dot com crash, embrace the evolving art forms.” some animators and entertain- ment sites will continue to flourish, Take Note! says Quakenbush. That includes Can independent anima- companies like AtomFilms. Even tors make money selling VHS more importantly, it includes “little tapes through outlets such as sites that are simple and creatively amazon.com? We aren’t aware free, started and run by artists for that anyone has done this with an no other reason than to work in a animation, however, it has been new medium. I think that they rep- reported that George Lucas in resent the reason the boom took Love, a live-action MediaTrip short, place. Investors saw unrestrained sold more copies on amazon.com creativity exhibited along with the than the Star Wars original it paro- disenfranchised populace who dies. More concretely, that meant

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big on business | big on content | big on interaction | big on intelligence would be better if broadcast on television. In many cases, this is a Finding Lucy core tenet of their business strategy. For some companies, the Web serves as a low-cost test bed for linear content and a Web show that spins off to television is her- alded as a great triumph. There can be value in this strategy of cre- ating made-for-TV Web content. For instance, BBC America has taken on Mondo Media’s Thugs on Film and Dotcomix’s Sister Randy. But in the context of our discus- sion — that of inventing a new entertainment experience in its own right — there’s something by Eric Oldrin inherently flawed with this kind of opportunistic creativity.

Courtesy of Art Today.

n October 1951, America saw medium — to create an entirely the pilot episode of a simple new entertainment experience. Ishow called I Love Lucy. With only five thousand dollars of their In Need of Identity own money, Lucille Ball and Desi Fifty years later, we’re at a Arnez created what turned out to similar crossroads. Dozens of pro- be an instant smash hit — a show ductions have cropped up in this Sister Randy, featured on Dotcomix, which never ranked lower than space we call the Internet. There heads for television with BBC America. third in popularity during its entire have been a few successes and a © Dotcomix. six-year run. In fact, I Love Lucy few casualties but most would could easily be considered the agree, we’ve yet to see our I Love Why Bother? “killer application” that inspired mil- Lucy. What will it take to create the It renders a sort of dispas- lions of Americans to purchase a next “killer application” — an expe- sionate art — created as a means, television set. It’s true. In 1951 rience that undeniably proves the not an ends — rather than the I fewer than 10 million households Web as an entertainment medium Love Lucy experience that defined were watching TV; by 1954 as in its own right? Let’s take a look at its own medium. For these cre- many as 50 million people were some of today’s popular trends as ators, the Web is an audition, not tuning in.1 a point of departure on our way to the main attraction. Even the best I Love Lucy captured the answering this difficult question. linear Web shows, the one’s lucky heart of its audience by embracing Like the early pioneers of enough break into the big leagues television as a unique entertain- television, it seems that many Web of analog entertainment — like ment experience — as something entertainers have chosen to repli- UrbanEntertainment’s Undercover other than radio or film. Early tele- cate the format of their predeces- Brother — seem truly at home vision tended to mirror radio. It sors. The majority of today’s online only when released from their dig- took shows like I Love Lucy and distributors tend to present very ital bondage. The Honeymooners to define this linear content — stories that The result is a slew of short-

1 How Hits Happen, Winston Farrel - quoting David Halberstam's book The Fifties

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200118 form animated and live-action pro- Shaiman, product manager at many parts good storytelling.” ductions thinly veiled as Web Shockwave. But this will take time. Interactivity is a catch-all word that shows but clearly suited for televi- We’re beginning to see is often used to describe the sion. The download is sometimes signs that the Internet is exploring nature of the Internet. It means painfully long, the quality is often its own form of expression. Some competing, playing, inventing, very poor and most importantly, hits have emerged — not from the building, sharing, communing, the format is consistently unin- virtual television pitches or from speaking, listening — it is the spired, leaving the viewer won- shows that simply slap a quiz onto essence of communication and dering why they didn’t just turn on the end of an episode — but from community. With interactivity, a the TV. “There is a very small per- the Joe Cartoons, the Jib Jabs and story is told as much by the audi- centage of content on the Web the Flinchs, content producers ence as it is by the author. today that actually utilizes the that take “full advantage [of the It’s a daunting task. Where medium fully,” says Tony Lopez, Web’s] unique attributes,” without television gave our artists a black, executive site producer at sacrificing the integrity of their white and gray color palette — Shockwave. “This is partly because narrative. the Internet gives them the rain- there are so many cross-over con- bow and a few ultraviolet colors to tent producers who came from lin- boot. There’s almost too many ear entertainment and it’s partly choices. The struggle today is to because it is not a simple thing understand and utilize all the inter- to do.” active opportunities at hand with- It’s understandable why so out breaking the suspension of dis- many Web productions have fol- belief so essential in our stories. lowed the existing linear entertain- ment archetype. On the other end Types of Interactivity of the spectrum, there are several Let’s take a minute to non-linear debacles that take exist- explore some of these interactive ing narratives and force them to Another popular Dotcomix creation, opportunities: Thugs on Film, destined for television become interactive. This simply through BBC America. © Dotcomix. Competing and Playing — does not work. It too often breaks perhaps the simplest to under- that essential suspension of dis- So, what are these unique stand, playing is best represented belief necessary in any good attributes and how does one har- by games which embrace a variety storytelling. monize them within existing narra- of genres: action, adventure, tive forms? Lopez continues, “True sports, simulation, puzzles. Games Finding A Voice interactive Web content is part CD- are often played many times These early experiments ROM, part console game and before growing old, which can have been key in the evolution of the “killer application” but they also tend to confuse the issue. Many of these shows have given Web entertainment a bad name and in the creator community have misrepresented the true essence of interactivity. “At the out- set, a nascent entertainment medi- um tends to simply repackage exist- ing forms of expression from more established media. Eventually, the new medium will find its own voice and will discover how to take full advantage of its own set Shockwave’s Tamale Loco is an interactive game available to of unique attributes,” says Todd anyone with access to the Internet. © Shockwave.com.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200119 brand’s impact, hold a user’s atten- tion longer and deepen the over- all experience. Speaking and Listening — clearly the most elusive of all inter- active tools, the Web can allow a narrative to become a conversa- tion. The listener becomes the speaker. The speaker becomes the listener. The story becomes a truly emmersive experience. In the past, there have been a number of logistical difficulties putting this Sony’s Photo Jam is available for download on Shockwave’s site and allows users to create personalized photo presentations synched to their favorite music. into practice. Again, how does © Shockwave.com. one maintain that suspension of make them valuable properties. post thoughts on message boards disbelief? However, this form also However, they tend to be lighter or contribute opinions to a poll. promises to be one of the most on story and character than These simple formats are just the compelling. other entertainment experiences. beginning of community on the That’s a very brief summary Historically, playing has often Web. More inspired, better inte- of some of the opportunities with- relied heavily on the audience and grated communities are starting to in interactivity that are still in their not so much on the author. This evolve, ones which literally wrap infancy. Despite our tendency to puts the suspension of disbelief at into existing brands, characters or gravitate toward what we know, a risk. Today, there are advances narrative content and draw the few brave pioneers are beginning being made to reconcile this rift user into the experience. These to emerge. On Shockwave alone, between puzzle and prose and communities help to strengthen a I’ve seen several examples that within the next year perhaps we will see an elegant marriage between games and narrative. Inventing and Building — some of the most powerful inter- active tools on the Web are those which allow users to create their very own content. People spend hours importing pictures, editing their music and building their port- folio of self-generated art. The beauty of these applications is in their simplicity and the empower- ment that they bestow. The enter- tainment experience includes the act of creation itself and the satis- faction of performing for others. Today’s basic creation tools often lack any sense of character or story but again, in the coming year this may change. Sharing and Communing — many times content that users create is shared with others within Another part of Shockwave’s available line-up,Tim Burton’s World of Stainboy, an online community. Often users offers clips, character studies and play time. © Shockwave.com.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200120 leverage each of these opportuni- Eric Oldrin is the senior producer ties. Tamale Loco ties character of series and show content for and story into the proven thrill of a Shockwave. Since joining side-scrolling adventure game; the Shockwave, Oldrin has produced new Photo Jam lets users create and developed some of its key their own media-rich photo pres- content, including Tim Burton’s entation; a Def Tones video allows World of Stainboy. Prior to join- people to share their images with ing Shockwave, Oldrin helped others in future evolving video build Mondo Media’s online ani- releases; and Tim Burton’s World of mation studio and produced The Stainboy is an immersive, commu- The Deftones’ new video for their song God and Devil Show, Thugs on nity-based environment encourag- “Back to School” is featured on Film and Like, News. Before that, Shockwave along with an interactive ing viewers to explore its richness game and band bio. © Shockwave.com. he created games at America of characters and narrative. Online’s WorldPlay Entertainment It’s an exciting time for opportunities, one that engages and Sierra Online’s Imagination entertainment. A revolution as sig- the audience without sacrificing Network. Eric holds a B.A. in nificant as television is at hand and the ancient art of storytelling, we Philosophy from Pomona the audience is waiting. According will find our Lucy. College. to market-research firm Cyber Dialogue, over 25 million users are Views expressed in this article Note: Readers may contact any demanding to interact with media are those of Eric Oldrin, and Animation World Magazine online. Perhaps with the right not necessarily that of shock- contributor by sending an e-mail application of these interactive wave.com. to [email protected].

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200121 crystal ball for 2001 and spare myself future humiliations, but your monthly columnist does not know the meaning of the word Movie! Movie! “reasonable.” As long as I am look- ing at the future year in feature films and not controlling the keys by Martin “Dr. Toon” Goodman to the President’s nuclear “foot- ball,” none of you need worry; I can only incinerate myself.

The highest rated show on television for kids 2-11 the Rugrats series hit theatres with its second feature release, Rugrats in Paris. TM & © 2000 Paramount Pictures and Viacom International Inc. All rights reserved. Out of the running for this column (since it will not appear until after these films are released) are The Emperor’s New Groove and Rugrats in Paris. I will, howev- er, venture to say that it may not be too surprising if the precocious While Mrs.Tweedy carefully checked the egg quota, the clay animation comedy Chicken potty-pals pull a preponderance of Run raised the roof with high box office returns.TM & © 2000 DreamWorks L.L.C. the prize. As much as I admired hat’s funnier than a The picture was canceled!?). I Mark Dindal’s direction on Cats Presidential election selected two films to break into the Don’t Dance (now, there’s one Whamstrung by hallowed animated top ten of all film that should demand a re- recounts, lawyers and scads of time as measured by box office count), this project has been far chad piled higher than the budg- gross, and not one film released in too disorganized. Whether this et for Dinosaur? Why, it’s my own the millennium year managed to film was once called Kingdom of predictions about the cinematic join that august circle. You heard it the Sun or Kingdom in the Sun, it winners for the year 2000! If you here first folks: The Cubs take the appears that the whole endeavor check back to my January column Series next year. has spent too much time in the of last year “Year In, Year Out,” you There is some solace to be sun. During its stint in Production will find the following fiascoes of gained: I was at least as good as Hell, this film has had so many clairvoyance: Fantasia/2000 to prognosticators using the science conceptual problems that some gross $225 million (Actual gross: of “audience response tracking” to insiders thought that Atlantis: The $59,103,478), Chicken Run to be project the final take of Hollywood Lost Empire might actually beat it a noble but ultimately unprofitable films over the past year (and at a to the screen. The entire tone of venture with a take of $28 million much cheaper price, I might add). the picture was reconceived, and (Actual gross: $106,793,915), and It might be reasonable to assume the new title sounds like a desper- Vortex to earn $25 million (What? that I would simply pack up my ate attempt to slap a hip grin on a

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200122 mation crew will be on board with talent to spare, and John Pomeroy has returned to the fold years after the Great Bluth Exodus. For those of you (including old Doc Toon) who have hungered for Disney feature animation to engage in some serious science-fiction, this should be a ripping treat. Keelhaul those faux-Broadway flicks with Set in the early 20th century, Disney’s Atlantis introduces audiences to an explorer, Milo hero/ines questing to find their Thatcher, who uses a mysterious map to lead a mission to find the lost city of Atlantis. true selves! Throw the comedy- © Disney Enterprises, Inc.All rights reserved. relief sidekicks overboard! Take ‘er panicked face. This might just be even, let alone challenge the down, Cap’n! Dive! Predicted Disney’s biggest box office bust in record books. Second, it may not gross: $107 million. years. The Rugrats, on the other get any better for the class of 2001 hand, have already proven they although there should be some can bust a move past the $100 exceptions. There will be some I have chosen to million barrier, and the experi- definitive losers, but don’t weep enced direction of Stig Berqvist too hard for them; most animated look at what should and Paul Demeyer will guarantee films don’t have “legs” at the box that nothing goes too badly office but their videos and DVDs be the top eight astray. Look for theaters to fill with always seem to sell after the the kids who comprise this show’s wreckage has settled. I have cho- releases for 2001… most loyal audience...and the par- sen to look at what should be the ents who have to schlep them top eight (possibly nine) releases Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within there. for 2001, and will hazard a guess (Columbia). Projected release: July, as to how they will hold up in the 2001. The nine top- cinematic marketplace. Since I no This $75 million science-fic- longer trust any given release date tion adventure is based on the grossing animated (even in a trailer) I will prognosti- mega-popular Final Fantasy video cate in alphabetical order. game series, so director Hironobu feature films for the Sakaguchi needs to provide some Atlantis:The Lost Empire (Disney). backstory for those who have day year 2000 averaged Projected release: June, 2001. jobs and thumbs that are used to Arrrgh, me lads! Ye can bet grasp pencils and pens. This film a take of it won’t be lost fer long! Disney reportedly uses CGI rendering so goes back to the successful formu- advanced that its characters are of $50,179,964… la that made 20,000 Leagues photographic quality. Ming-Na, Under the Sea a major hit. This James Woods and Donald Now for the features of time they’ve got a first-class sci-fi Sutherland are aboard as voice 2001. Note: The nine top-grossing script, smashmouth CGI — and actors. Design is by Yoshitaka animated feature films for the year not one song by Phil Collins! (The Amano (who engineered the 2000 averaged a take of intriguing trailer is highly recom- video game characters) so the $50,179,964, but only three of mended.) Co-directors Kirk Wise overall look of the film is consistent those films actually grossed more and Gary Trousdale are as venera- for fans who live in the Final than the average. Four of that top ble as the sunken city itself, and Fantasy universe. Those fans are nine did not even gross half the this film has scant competition this truly the ones spreading most of average. This suggests two impor- summer — most of the other the buzz about this picture; my tant facts: First, it is extremely diffi- major releases are spring or concern is that the vast majority of cult for animated films to break Holiday fare. The usual Disney ani- moviegoers are unfamiliar with

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200123 the game and will confuse the film posthaste. Predicted gross: $14 ences may find themselves long- with some kind of softcore flick...if million. ing for the simple charms of Selick’s they pay any attention at all. earlier efforts. Did I mention that it Columbia may be left with a visu- Monkeybone (FOX). Projected opens on the same day as ally striking cult hit for a very small release: April 11, 2001. Pokémon 3? Place your bets. cult. But it’s probably worth the This stop-motion/live-action Predicted gross: $16 million. price of admission to see the next picture was originally slated for a step in CGI. The trailer has some November 2000 release under the Monsters, Inc. (Disney/Pixar). truly remarkable moments when title Dark Town. Henry Selick is Projected release: November, one can’t tell if one is watching a directing, and those of us who 2001. CGI or “real” actor – but can it be enjoyed The Nightmare Before Monsters in the closet! sustained for the entire picture? Christmas and James and the Monsters under the bed! Monsters Predicted gross: $30 million. Giant Peach know that a pro is at at the box office! This project, the reins. However, this film might which started out as The Hidden be a difficult sell. We have City, will be the blockbuster of the Brendan Fraser as a cartoonist new year. When the secret dimen- who finds himself comatose after a sion of scary monsters is breached car crash. Deep in the recesses of by (gasp!) a human child, havoc his mind lies a mad cartoon world ensues. The available trailer known as Dark Town, and there already suggests that directors our hero meets his crowning Pete Docter and David Silverman creation, a character called know how to build some engag- DNA Productions’ Jimmy Neutron: Boy Monkeybone (Paul Rubens). If ing, funny characters, and the Genius will be the first Nickelodeon prop- Monkeybone can’t get his creator Pixar record has been a solid one erty to be launched as a multi-platform franchise. © DNA Productions. back in his conscious mind soon, as far as entertainment and profits Death (Whoopi Goldberg) takes are concerned. Billy Crystal, John Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (DNA all. This is a bit too close to Cool Goodman and Jennifer Tilly will be Productions and O Entertainment World for me, and Selick does not among the voice cast. Just try by way of Nickelodeon Movies direct like Ralph Bakshi to begin keeping the kids out of the the- and Paramount Pictures). with. Toss in complicated subplots aters for this one, especially since Projected release: One of these that include a God of Nightmares, they’ll be following you as fast as days, 2001. multiple body inhabitations, organ they can run. My only concerns Nickelodeon is pushing this harvesting and other plot points I might be possible over-promotion redheaded, inventive boy genius don’t wish to give away, and audi- and death-by-tie-ins, but none of (say what, Mr. Tartakovsky?) as one of the major market must-haves for next Holiday season. The char- acter originally appeared in a 1995 short as Johnny Quasar, and some potential was obviously seen. Look for a marketing blitz as the TV series and movie are planned for near-simultaneous release. The film will be handled by DNA Productions (who recently brought us the precious Olive, the Other Reindeer), with direction by John A. Davis. Animation is CGI. Is this Nick’s answer to Dexter? I have a feeling that Jimmy had better Monsters, Inc. plans to serve up comedy in the realm of things that go bump build a few battle robots, in the night. © Disney Enterprises, Inc.All rights reserved.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200124 that seemed to hurt The Grinch a up on their rave/anime/comic bit. Predicted gross: $128 million. book roots and pen a good screenplay. While I can’t blame Osmosis Jones (Warner Bros.). them for jumping on this project Projected release: August, 2001. while the girls (and their merchan- Osmosis Jones is a live- dise) are red-hot, let’s hope that action/animated film that plays like this film is not merely tossed up on a cross between a detective buddy the screen for the sake of quick flick and Fantastic Voyage. cash. With proper care, the Direction is handled by Tom Sito, a Powerpuff movie will pull in key player in the Disney animation Rugrats-level box office. Three revival, and Piet Kroon, who cheers for the red, green and blue! Protecting “the city of Frank,” Osmosis labored on The Iron Giant and Jones, voiced by Chris Rock, fights evil Predicted gross: $90 million. Quest for Camelot, while making viruses vigilante style in Warner Bros. the indy short T.R.A.N.S.I.T. The new live-action animated film Osmosis Recess: School’s Out (Disney). Jones. © 2000 Warner Bros. animator list reads like a recent Projected release: February, 2001. Who’s Who from the Disney and Tom Kane to reprise their “Cartoon At least one synopsis states DreamWorks studio, the live-action Cartoon” roles for the film. The that T.J. Detweiler and his preco- segments are directed by the fre- styling and animation for this car- cious cohorts from the TV series netic Farrelly brothers, and the toon may actually be simple Recess will battle the sinister Dr. voice cast (which includes Chris enough to meet the projected Benedict’s plan to introduce eter- Rock and David Hyde Pierce) is a release date given above, but let’s nal winter, thus ending summer strong one. By all rights, this hope that Craig McCracken and vacations permanently! Chuck should be one of the better pic- company take the time to brush Sheetz, who has worked on The tures and top grossers of the year. However, advance releases men- tion scenes in which the heroes enter a zit, are inundated by snot and make a trip to “Gonad’s Gym.” While I’m sure that ample and visu- ally opulent tribute is made to the miracles of the human body, the pandering to adolescent gross- out humor raises my eyebrows. Perhaps such could be expected with the Farrellys on board, but those are not the sequences they directed. Predicted gross (so to speak): $67 million.

Powerpuff Girls:The Movie (Warner Bros. via Cartoon Network Studios). Projected release at this time: Summer 2001. A caveat here: Some sources are listing this release for 2002. The film has a reported budget of $25 million (not count- ing expenses for Chemical X), and The popular Cartoon Network TV series, Powerpuff Girls, aims to take over we can expect Cathy Cavadini, theatres with a new feature-length animated film directed by show creator Tara Charendoff, E.G. Daily and Craig McCraken. © Cartoon Network.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200125 Simpsons and King of the Hill before joining Disney, should ably direct. Recess (the series) is by no means a stinker and has an audi- ence, but look for an earlier release starring cartoon young- sters to sweep this feature under the rug(rats) in terms of box office gross. Some good promotion by Daddy Diz might knock a few more dollars into the turnstile tills, but after this feature, school will truly be out for the Recess gang. Predicted gross: $12 million.

DreamWorks/PDI’s Shrek, based on the picture book by William Steig, follows the quest of a no-nonsense ogre befriended by a wise-cracking donkey who ventures to save a beautiful princess. © DreamWorks/PDI. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron notable, Shrek in particular. The instead. Mike Myers and Cameron audiences will ultimately decide, Diaz eventually filled the vacated but don’t be surprised if this voice roles, and a co-directing film turns out to be the Dark team consisting of Andrew Crystal of 2001. Predicted gross: Adamson and Victoria Jenson $26 million. finally took the reins. Eddie Next month, undoubtedly Murphy signed on as the voice of battered and bruised by studio an ill-tempered but loyal donkey, insiders e-mailing me with their and Shrek soldiered on into its opinions about these predictions, I fourth year of production. shall return to more typical com- Animation insiders indicate that mentary. Until then, a most happy DreamWorks recently killed their and healthy New Year (Predicted Recess: School’s Out sends television’s plans for showing the film in IMAX gross: 365 days) to my cherished favorite troop of fourth-graders to the widescreen 3D format, due to the readers. theatre for more animated antics! additional production costs. The © Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. only question that remains is, will Martin “Dr. Toon” Goodman is a this movie be worth all the effort? longtime student and fan of ani- Shrek (DreamWorks/PDI). There are many good reasons why mation. He lives in Anderson, Projected release: May, 2001. the film should do well, but in Indiana. This tale of a chubby green watching the trailer, I somehow ogre who fights on the side of jus- came away with the impression Note: Readers may contact any tice has had a choppy production that Shrek might not fulfill expecta- Animation World Magazine history. The ogre’s original voice, tions. To begin with, there were contributor by sending an e-mail Chris Farley died. Another major far too many in-jokes aimed at to [email protected]. character, the princess, was to be Disney, Eddie Murphy’s shtick voiced by Jeanane Garofalo but sounded distressingly familiar, and she left the project. Director Kelly the fairy-tale setting seemed anti- Asbury literally switched horses quated. Finally, the CGI-generated and ended up on DreamWork’s characters did not look especially

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200126 show us that unfortunately most people regard animation as prima- Outside the Bubble: rily for children. Good animated films that offer non-kid content, What the Main Street Papers Say although they might be kid-friend- ly, are not really for kids and tend to get overlooked which I think is unfortunate. My feeling is that ani- by Joan Kim mated movies are for a wide, wide ere in the animation com- mation though, as the Toy Story range of people and it is actually munity, we hold high movies have shown the promise my favorite genre. I’ll try not to get Hexpectations for the ani- of computer-animated movies. on my soap box, but if I had to mated feature film to break out of take one genre to a deserted its “kid’s only” realm. However, we, “The animated island that’s what it would be. and our readers, might be a bit I think animated films can biased. Therefore, we went out to feature film is begin- be made that satisfy children and the rest of the news community to ning to evolve out of adults on different levels. Even hear what they had to say. something as simple as The Finding the entertainment editors the “kids only” realm, Emperor’s New Groove does that. and movie reviewers from cities but it hasn’t gotten It has humor for kids and humor across the U.S., we heard their for adults, but I think adults tend views about animation, and how very far yet in the eyes to ghettoize them. they feel their readership — a of the general public.” I’m a dreadful predictor, but readership most familiar with I think Emperor’s New Groove will Disney — regards animation. — Kevin Cox do well. Obviously Disney’s name What is the main street I’ve seen only a few is the most potent selling point speak about animated features? attempts at catering animated that you can attach to any kind of Are we breaking out of the “kids films specifically to adults. Princess film, mainly any kind of animated only” mold yet? These home town Mononoke was the latest I can film. The main interest in it is that gurus with their ear to the ground think of, and it was only successful there is a huge demand for the break it down for us and tell us we on a small scale. Most of the adult- Disney name regardless of what is still have a long way to go… oriented animated fare has been being offered under it. So, I think it on cable TV and direct-to-video, will do well — whether or not it wtttw with many of those features based grosses as high as some of the on comic book heroes like Batman more kid-friendly movies like Kevin Cox, Datebook Editor and Spawn. In terms of animated Tarzan, I’m not too sure, because it The Des Moines Register, Des films for adults and kids, films like isn’t particularly directed at young Moines, Iowa Toy Story have been successful. children. Overall, I think the animated fea- Animated feature films are ture film is beginning to evolve out wtttw viewed very highly, especially in of the “kids only” realm, but it has- Disney’s case. Adults have come to n’t gotten very far yet in the eyes Jean Prescott, Marquee Editor expect high-quality, entertaining of the general public. Marquee Entertainment Guide stories that they can take children The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Mississippi to see. DreamWorks also has wtttw shown promise with The Prince of I think that people are inter- Egypt and The Road to El Dorado. Larry Toppman,Film Critic ested in feature animation. My Other studios’ films haven’t been The Charlotte Observer, experience is certainly with Disney so lucky (Titan A.E., for example), Charlotte, North Carolina movies. Even The Emperor’s New but they can’t all be successful. The Groove, which I understand had a success goes beyond standard ani- I think that box office totals lot of production problems and

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200127 changed gears mid-stream, has Jennifer Cooley, Entertainment Ron Cowan,Writer/Reporter, parents taking their kids to see Editor Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon these movies just because if they El Paso Times, El Paso,Texas don’t the kids won’t stop nagging Obviously, they’re doing a them. But I think movies like I think it definitely is evolv- lot of new things with animation Chicken Run and even Emperor’s ing. With Titan A.E. my husband techniques, particularly with com- New Groove are getting away saw it and really enjoyed it. I was- puter animation as seen in the two from the “kid only” realm. With n’t able to see it with him, but it Toy Story movies. Emperor’s New Disney movies – why look at Robin sounded like it was very much an Groove has more of a pop look to Williams in Aladdin! I laughed so adult film, more than just a kid’s it by contrast and it is the more tra- hard at that movie — at things I cartoon. That’s a good example of ditional cel animation. But I think know my grandson didn’t have how it is definitely evolving. that people like this new [amount the slightest idea of what was People are starting to learn, espe- of] variety. The studios are show- going on. These multi-level jokes cially with what’s on TV now, that ing that there’s not just the classical where you’ve got to keep mom cartoons or animation doesn’t Disney style of animation any- and dad from falling asleep and have to be just for kids. Really, like more. The people that make ani- pulling their hair out [really work]. with Looney Tunes, it started out mated films are reaching out to a So you have to put in some inside more for adults than how people broader audience. It’s not just for jokes in there and keep in mind view it now. kids anymore, which makes sense. we’re up to our elbows in red- Parents have to bring the kids and necks — and I say that lovingly. “I know a lot of [the filmmakers] want films to I think that people across reach a modern audience and a the board enjoy them whether it’s adults without more diverse audience. a Disney movie and you take the children who went Not all of them do well, but kids or not. I don’t think they see it there have been some examples at a couple of times the way to see Rugrats the box office, like Titan A.E., that teenagers go back to see their in Paris…” had some unusual animation. Dude, Where’s My Car? movie, However, for the most part, partic- but I think that animation is well — Jennifer Cooley ularly when films have the Disney received. I see loads of people name, and now the DreamWorks who like Wallace and Gromit and I think audiences receive name, they are finding an audi- made the connection to Chicken animation well. I know a lot of ence. Audiences still tend to look Run as being done by the same adults without children who went for brand names. people, plus it was enough to get to see Rugrats in Paris, because even the so-called elitists out there they enjoyed the first one so much Joan Kim received her B.A. in who might not go and see a and enjoy watching the cartoons English Literature from UCLA and Disney movie. It is becoming on TV. People are enjoying anima- currently is the editorial adminis- something that adults go and see tion and are more likely to see all trator for Animation World and don’t feel like they have to sorts of animated movies than Network. Previously as a graphics have the token child with them so before. Part of that I think is consultant she produced several they don’t feel foolish. They watch because Disney has done such a company reports and manuals Futurama on TV and they watch good job with movies like Aladdin and continues to pursue an The Simpsoms, of course, and and Lion King putting in adult stuff education in computer graphics. that’s not silly. The single guys in along with stuff that their kids can this newsroom will carry on about enjoy. So they got a taste of that the latest celebrity voice on The through their kids and realized, Note: Readers may contact any Simpsons, so yeah, I think it’s not ‘Hey, I don’t have to borrow some- Animation World Magazine just for kids. one’s kid to go see the movie.’ contributor by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. wtttw wtttw

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200128 Beyond Good and Evil: Piotr Dumala’s Crime and Punishment by Chris Robinson “...[C]an it be that I will really Most recently, Polish animator Piotr take an axe and hit her on the Dumala, already well known for head and smash her skull.... existential films Kafka and The slip in the sticky, warm blood.... Gentle One (based on a Lord, can it be?” Dostoevsky short story) tried his hand, literally, at Dostoevsky’s novel. While it’s not the first ani- mation attempt at Crime and Punishment (in 1999, student Zack Margolis made a short but with what it knows. The tensions inspiring take on it called A Trip to evolve out of this self-awareness. the Building), it is by far the most With our implication comes a vari- ambitious. ety of mixed messages that shuffle and confuse our own moral val- All images from Piotr Dumala’s film ues and sense of right and wrong. Crime and Punishment. © Piotr Dumala. Despite his monstrous actions, we urning books into anima- (well, at least I) do not want tion is nothing new. Raskolnikov to get caught. Not TVirtually all of Disney’s early only are we a witness to the crime, features were adapted from but also aware of the motivations books. The Russians were also behind it. The same can be seen in especially apt at adapting books Psycho and Shadow of a Doubt. without getting the rights first The cinematic temptation is And despite its mythical and intim- (e.g. Fedor Khitruk’s Winnie the obvious. For all its multi-layered idating reputation, Crime and Pooh and Alexei Karaev’s Dr. Seuss philosophical, social and econom- Punishment reads like a mystery takes, Welcome and The Cat in ic critiques of Russian society and novel. Indeed, the book was origi- The Hat). More ambitious adapta- humanity in general, Crime and nally a serialization for newspaper tions include Jan Lenica’s bizarre Punishment contains all the ten- readers. take on Ionesco’s absurdist classic, sion and suspense of a Hitchcock Rhinoceros, Svankmajer’s Faust film. As with Shadow of A Doubt, “Man gets accustomed to and Alexander Petrov’s recent The Rope, Frenzy, or even North By everything, the scoundrel!” Old Man and The Sea. Some work Northwest, to name a few, we well, others do not. know almost immediately who The Distillation of Story Now it’s one thing to adapt committed, or in the case of North Dumala it seems also fairy tales, plays and novellas, but by Northwest, who didn’t commit, picked up the Hitchcock theme. it’s an entirely different task when the foul deed. Like Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment opens with one is dealing with a mammoth Hitchcock implicates the viewer in a marvellous Saul Bass inspired work like Dostoevsky’s Crime and the crimes (e.g. the voyeurism in credit sequence. Thumping, repet- Punishment. Cinema has already Rear Window, the shower scene itive piano notes accompany the attempted a number of adapta- in Psycho or the murder in Rope). reddish brown visuals that appear tions most notably by Josef Von Throughout the course of the in and out of shadows. In Sternberg and Aki Kaurismaki. works, the viewer/reader must live between, we see what is almost

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200129 an overture of images (including be good or bad and to love or appealed to Dumala, who in typi- the murder) revealing in an almost hate.” cal teenage fashion, was drinking Brechtian style what exactly we Dumala limited the film to too much, causing trouble and can expect to see in this film. The five characters: Sonia, Raskolnikov, fighting with his parents. Beyond fusion of red and brown through- the old lady, and the old man who the juvenile attraction, there was out the film captures the violence is always peering from the shad- something much deeper in the and griminess of this sick world, ows. He also created a new char- book that embraced the young while the elliptical, paranoid, dimly acter based on the dream that Pole. The atmosphere in Crime lit images perfectly capture the Raskolnikov has of himself as a and Punishment is one of dirt and increasingly blurred line of dream young boy trying to save a horse scum. Everyone is dirty. They live and reality in Raskolnikov’s dis- from a severe beating. “I felt that I in dirty houses with dirty children turbed mind. As with the novel, could make another hero who can and have dirty thoughts. We see the crime is very much an after- exist like an angel representing his criminals, prostitutes, low lifes; the thought. What interests Dumala is innocence.” dark side of society. This was a less the crime and more the emo- world very familiar to Dumala. He tional and mental state of this trou- What interests grew up in a poor district of bled soul before and after the mur- Warsaw with “lots of criminals liv- der. This is not Dostoevsky’s Crime Dumala is less ing in the court.” The courtyard and Punishment and nor should it was built in 1938 but was be. Adaptations, like essays, the crime and destroyed during WW II. “Many should attempt to be personal re- people were killed in this area. My creations of the feelings inspired more the childhood was among these sur- by the adapted work. roundings. It was dark poetry. emotional and People were living in ruins. A sin- mental state of gle mother with two kids lived in the basement, while another fam- this troubled ily occupied the top part. Criminals were fighting everyday. There was soul… blood everywhere. Prostitutes lay in the stairway shitting on the “Occasionally he would stop in stairs.” At the same time, Dumala, front of a summer house decked in love with a school girl, had his Unfortunately, Dumala has out in greenery, look through the Sonia within this landscape of been criticized for his apparently fence, and see dressed-up darkness. In Crime and unfaithful translation. “People women far away, on balconies Punishment, Dumala “found a wanted a standard adaptation. and terraces, and children run- book about my life.” People expect to see what they ning in the garden. He took spe- read in the book. This is something cial interest in the flowers; he else so they feel cheated. It was looked longer at them than at not my aim to copy the book. I anything else.” was really close to the book. I took one level of the book. It’s not pos- An Affinity sible to show everything from this Dumala worked for 3 years book. I got what I wanted.” on Crime and Punishment, but he Dumala’s film takes only the main was introduced to the book in sec- plots: the killings and meeting ondary school. “I was very moved At 15, Dumala was not Sonia. This is not a tale of evil or when I read this story about a 20- mature enough to make a film of the like in St. Petersburg. “This is year-old good guy who wanted to Crime and Punishment. Ten years about love and how obsession kill someone without any reason.” later, Dumala had started making can destroy love. In our life we are The idea of a young man strug- comics consisting of about 300 under two opposite influences to gling to find his limitations drawings. “It was the best draw-

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200130 ings I’d ever made in my life, so scratched it with a needle. It was work slowly to keep it as long as after I thought about a film. My an illumination. It was possible to possible. So I’ll go to the bar and professor said, ‘You should do scratch and make a drawing. I eat something and then it’s time to Crime and Punishment,’ but it was could continue this and make a destroy it. It’s a punishment.” too early for me.” It would take film.” After one year at the Dumala another 17 years, making Academy of Fine Arts, Dumala hundreds of films before he was made two films [The Black Riding ready to make the film of his life. Hood (The Black Hood) and Lycantrophy] using a traditional drawing style, before using the new technique on his next film, Flying Hair. “It was a fantastic tech- nique. Everything was influenced by this technique. It was smooth and poetic and black.” While the If there is a crime to go with first two films were done on a this punishment, it comes courtesy white background, Flying Hair of the film’s soundtrack. Faced was made on a black background. with deadlines, Dumala had only The Technique “This started my series of black days to complete the soundtrack. Dumala is, of course, films. So all films take place at “There were technical problems already a well-known artist on the night or between night and day. and I couldn’t start earlier. When I international animation circuit and It’s not possible to explain the time finally went to the studio I had two his work is acclaimed for its philo- of day. Is it real light or dark sun?” nights. I couldn’t see the result sophical themes but especially for until Ottawa [where the film pre- his innovative plaster technique. His technique miered in September 2000].” His technique involves the use of Fortunately, the completion slabs of plaster covered with nor- involves the of Crime and Punishment was mal glue (with hot water to make mildly therapeutic for Dumala. the surface stronger and smooth). use of slabs “When I was finished I felt like after Once dry Dumala scratches on the the crime. I knew that something plaster with sandpaper and paints of plaster was passed. I am free of an idea it with oil paint. “It goes very fast. I that I was keeping for twenty put the paint on the surface and covered with years. It is done. It’s over. I felt free it’s absorbed very quickly. I scratch normal glue… to make something else.” on it with a sharp tool and can Old women the world over are achieve very nice effects from dark The process is time con- rejoicing. tones to white plaster. The anima- suming and Dumala never quite tion goes onto one piece so I achieves the most desired effect. Chris Robinson is the artistic make one drawing and change “There are no line tests. Everything director of the Ottawa it on the same plaster and re- is done the first and last time.” International Animation Festival. paint it.” With the life of a new image, Dumala invented the tech- comes the death of the old one. Note: Readers may contact any nique in 1983. “I had a piece of “It’s really destroying my mind. It’s Animation World Magazine wood covered with a special like killing your own children. Only contributor by sending an e-mail preparation — I kept it as a lesson what I get is the effect on the to [email protected]. of technology from art school — screen. The movement. I’m very and I covered the wood with much linked to my drawings. brown oil paint as background — Sometimes you still have some of I always liked Dutch painting and I the past drawing and parts of the knew they covered their paintings next one. It’s something really with black — I really liked this and interesting, but you can’t keep it. I

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200131 The Philosophical Stone of Animation by Piotr Dumala irst of all I would like to say finally run away, leaving the what made me write the youngster disappointed, I felt the Fpresent text and explain joy of a scientist whose experi- why I chose this particular title. A ment has worked. At that time I stone is a symbol of existence, called it, “The first twitch of the coherence and accord with one- hand of Frankenstein’s monster.” A self. Seemingly changeless and miracle had happened, one form inanimate, it nonetheless contains of energy was transformed into — symbolically — the deepest cre- another, immobility gave rise to ative power. It is an abode of the the motion of figures endowed gods and has prophetic qualities. with the qualities of sentient For the alchemists the philosophi- beings. cal stone represents a union of The comparison with alche- opposites. According to Jung, my has dawned on me just recent- Piotr Dumala. © Danilo Giannini. alchemists did not look for a deity ly, while I was busy getting pre- in matter but “produced” the deity pared for my next film, inspired by never happened in reality but is through the process of transmu- the life of John Dee, a sixteenth now revealed to us on the screen tation. century magician and scientist. All due to a visual illusion. In a live- I would hate to ascribe at once I saw my work as an activ- action movie the camera registers exaggerated significance to what ity akin to alchemy in more ways real motion, ‘fishing out’ of its con- the making of an animated film than one. tinuous flow the necessary num- essentially means to me. However, Sitting with a camera in my ber of phases. In an animated film the first impression from twenty basement and drawing the last it is the other way round: the five years ago, when the cat that I scenes of Crime and Punishment I author builds motion from individ- had just drawn came alive, as well suddenly wrote on the backside ual, motionless images and it is as many thoughts that keep com- of the screenplay: “Animation is only the viewer who provides the ing to me during my solitary work alchemy. For if we admit that the impression of continuity. The emo- under a camera, make me feel world is revealed to us through tions and feelings present in such more and more strongly that I am motion and change (even an animated picture, as well as the dealing with something close to Buddhist texts say that change is extreme condensation of time that magic. That “something” consists the essence of existence, that occurs, make it very intense; in discovering or rather producing nothing is permanent), it is the ani- although the viewer may find that existence, motion, life; in extract- mator who finds his way to the intensity exhausting, it helps the ing motion from between the mysterious machinery from which author put a lot of substance into grains of immobility, since motion all motion results; it is the animator a surprisingly short projection. Of is but an illusion, a conjecture pro- who employs that machinery to course, I am only concerned with duced by our mind through the his own ends (...). The real world films in which the author takes medium of the eye. When I saw enters the realm of change and himself, his subject and the viewer the cat built from dozens of is transformed therein. Using very seriously. Commercials or motionless pictures run across the motionless pictures in lieu of ele- movies of little artistic value, made screen, cower before a boy who mentary particles the animator as an entertainment for children or was offering it a bowl of milk and builds the kind of motion that has adults, can be likened to stands in ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200132 a market where charlatans traffic is not merely something that I do connected from reality, in which it in their cheap wares.” for a living, so I feel strongly has no direct equivalents; it tells its Alchemy began to develop moved to comprehend its deepest own truth, nevertheless, as an in the third and fourth centuries as essence and mystical dimension. emanation of pure imagination. a symbolic process in which the Having compared the mak- Just like Chinese script, which has obtaining of gold was tantamount ing of an animated film to the grown out of a particular image to a transformation of the secular process of an alchemical transfor- and through a process of abstrac- into the spiritual. Gold symbolised mation, I now notice another sim- tion which has given it universal enlightenment and salvation. The ilarity between the two. meaning. alchemical process can be sum- When we create motion marised as follows: analyse that and in this way tell a story, we can I have to which you are, perform the disso- show a particular unreal situation lution, do not be discouraged by and by the same token directly admit that I am the enormity of your toil and present a vision taken from imagi- quite surprised when you finally obtain the nation, employ a language which power, use it to carry out the is normally used by our thoughts and even union. Incidentally, what I find and dreams, make the impossible quite striking is an analogy physically visible and thus — possi- embarrassed, between this principle of alchemy ble. We allude here to the lan- and a tendency that has become guage of symbols, metaphors, seeing where my quite widespread nowadays, but fairy tales. We make childish reflections on had always been vital to humans, dreams come true, those dreams namely, the desire to discover in where objects (or toys) come alive, the modest oneself the deepest religiousness changing their shape and identity and to attain enlightenment — before our very eyes, the laws of profession of this being effected by various tech- nature are transgressed and magi- niques of meditation — or to free cal events take place. an animator oneself from neuroses and As a child I always preferred have led me. become psychologically integrat- animated films to live-action ed in the course of a long, difficult movies. In an animated film the For me the language of and painful process of psychother- magician does not wear a fake animation is a direct expression of apy or psychoanalysis. beard and no actress has to pre- our psyche – of the world of tend to be a princess: the princess myths, dreams and metaphors The com- is real and so is the magic. The hidden within us. It expresses very stuff that such films are made something that one can define as parison with of is magical. Besides, I experience the sort of spirituality proper to the all the old silent films as horrors, psyche of a child, to primitive peo- alchemy since not a single person who ples, to schizophrenics, but also to moves around on the screen is still the wise seekers of the philosophi- has dawned among the living. cal stone, who (like many artists) on me just The singular language of profess an attitude of eternal animation can be defined as a amazement and childishly believe recently… very primeval form of communica- in miracles. Their belief is evi- tion which does not originate from denced by their insane occupation I have to admit that I am the intellectual or linguistic as a magician — or animator. quite surprised and even embar- thought structures. It is a language During the reign of King rassed, seeing where my reflec- of the gesture, image, pan- Rudolph II, black magicians con- tions on the modest profession tomime, a plastic symbol subject- fined to the cramped cubicles in of an animator have led me. ed to a very strict regime of tem- the Golden Lane (also called the However, the work to which I poral sequence, that is, to editing. Street of the Alchemists) in Prague have devoted thousands of hours Unlike live-action movies, it is dis- used their sooty kettles to melt

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200133 quicksilver so that it changed into ties that computers offer, anima- ities at the threshold of which I gold. That image seems pretty tors evoke the extinct world of stood at that time. A direct result of close to the weird studios of such dinosaurs and the breathtaking that insight is the film Franz Kafka contemporary animators as the horror of the sinking of the in which I not only had the effron- Quay brothers in London, Yuri “Titanic.” Whenever high-budget tery to show an animated Kafka Norstein in Moscow, Barry Purves feature films enter the realm of fan- but also — to put it more precisely in Manchester — or even to my tasy and overstep the limits of — saw animation as the most per- own basement in Warsaw — what is possible, the results sud- fect medium for the evocation of where an invisible force makes us denly make me think of Karel his spirit. It took two years in a dark conjure whole worlds pulsating Capik’s 1922 novel The Absolute basement to produce a sixteen- with mysterious life, using scraps Factory, where a scientist’s inven- minute long flash of magnesium of paper, paint, static dolls and tion gives rise to a large-scale pro- and thus tear out from the dark- objects as well as the lifeless tex- duction of the absolute — a sub- ness of non-existence bits and ture of plaster of Paris. stance which catalyses parapsy- scraps of the writer’s life which last- On the one hand it is a ful- chological qualities, turning those ed forty one years. I have fed filment of the childish dream to hitherto unique phenomena into those images with my own energy make one’s toys come alive, to common events. Anyone who has during several thousand hours of enter a depicted, invented, fairy- read the novel knows that a voluntary confinement. tale world. On the other hand it is world-wide cataclysm followed. This recollection of my work an obsessive urge — well-known on Kafka leads me to the last ques- to magicians and mad scientists — Yuri Norstein tion that I would like to discuss — to create an artificial man: a namely, to certain animated films homunculus, a Golem, Frankenstein’s once declared in which the very subject matter monster, a cyborg, a clone. clearly proves how self-aware their In the early twentieth cen- in an interview authors are, showing that they are tury Karol Irzykowski, a Polish that he felt quite conscious of the aspect that I thinker and film theorist, intuited am dealing with in this text. In that animation would develop into more like a other words, they do not overlook “the real cinema of the future,” the connection between their pure cinema defined as a move- magician than work and alchemy. I have to limit ment of forms hatched from under myself to just two examples. the animator’s hand, setting no an avant-garde I remember how Miroslaw barriers to his imagination. artist. Kijowicz, the outstanding Polish Indeed, even at that time anima- animator, commented on The tion did appear in films, employed Now let us focus our atten- Street of Crocodiles by the Quay as magic through which the limits tion on the modest work of ani- brothers, having seen it at the of what was feasible could be mators who spend their days in 1986 festival in Zagreb: “This is no transgressed in live-action movies solitude, sitting in their attics, base- longer animation but some kind of by Méliès or in Fritz Lang’s ments or some such places — that a mystery play.” Indeed, what we Metropolis. In the pioneering work is, naturally, at the fringe of the see in that film is a long-extinct of Winsor McCay, the animator world. world resurrected on the screen, recreated the catastrophe of the When Yuri Norstein visited or perhaps brought to life by a steamship “Lusitania.” The animals Warsaw more than ten years ago drop of saliva from the mouth of in the uncanny puppet films of and someone from the audience an old man (could it be God?); Ladislaw Starewicz were also asked him — in a doubtful tone — that world describes itself as a brought to life and made more about the future of animation, he town filled with “cheap human human through animation. It was answered: “Animation is just material,” a shoddy imitation, “a the flame of animation that beginning to develop.” I have to photo-montage composed of clip- emanated pure energy in Len Lye’s admit that those words, or rather pings from stale, last-year’s news- abstract films. Nowadays, due to Yuri’s certainty, made me realise papers.” The above sentence the staggering range of possibili- there and then the infinite possibil- might perhaps serve as a credo for

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200134 the Quay brothers who — movement of inanimate objects, in an interview that he felt more enchanted with the early works of light and optics in their animated like a magician than an avant- Jan Svankmajer and inspired by films, the Quay brothers have garde artist. I can readily them — devoted their talents to noiselessly crossed over to the empathise with the passion hid- the conjuring of life out of every- realm of live-action movies, work- den in that statement, with the day objects and crippled dolls. ing with undiminished concentra- desire to give life to the beings that Surrounded by dusty stage-sets tion and studying the mysterious one creates, not caring to place that whisper in our ears scraps of relationships between the world oneself in any sort of context with long-cancelled meanings, the of live humans and their acquired regard to the general trends along Quays weave patterns of connec- gestures on one hand and the sur- which art develops. I think that the tions which escape our perception rounding stage-sets made of above-quoted remark made by like paths dissolving inconspicu- objects on the other. All of this is Murnau fully reflects an important ously in a forest. Their expert use done in the brothers’ feature film quality of Norstein’s work in which of scarce light and the depth of The Institute Benjamenta. the author by the power of his tal- focus is akin to the effects ent reveals to us “with supreme employed long ago in silent films. I have fed effort” and concentration a live I am tempted to quote now world that no human eye has what Joël Magny, the French crit- those images seen. The creative properties of ic, said about Friedrich Wilhelm with my own darkness quite obviously come Murnau’s films: “It is as if the shad- into play there: as soon as a dim ows acting in his theatre arose energy during beam of light briefly illuminates from the screen itself, from the the ceiling, detecting a small cat- film-strip, to dissolve in darkness several thousand like animal that runs across a gird- later on. Those wavering figures er, the viewer feels that the whole and their ephemeral adventures hours of zone of darkness is saturated with seem to have been extracted for voluntary an invisible presence which can just one brief moment, with take shape at any moment due to supreme effort, from nothingness confinement. a sudden flash of light. and darkness.” Murnau was not The characters of Akakij an animator in the proper sense of The Quay brothers were Akakijewicz, his housekeeper and the word, of course. But his fasci- inspired by metaphysical his cat, as well as the snowy streets nation with the uncanny as well as European writers: Bruno Schulz, of St. Petersburg, seem like a vision the precision work that such films Franz Kafka and Robert Walser. produced through the alchemical as Nosferatu, Faust or even The Yuri Norstein decided to recreate process of transmutation. At the Vogelöd Castle obviously required the fantastic atmosphere of bottom of a black kettle a gleam of seem quite close to an animator’s Gogol’s stories. He made Akakij pure gold appears. way of thinking in terms of indi- Akakijewicz Baszmaczkin, the main One could quote here the vidual frames. Graf Orlok, or character from The Overcoat, gen- names of other artists: Susan Pitt, Nosferatu, as he appears in the uinely, pulsatingly alive. The subtle Igor Kovalyov, Raoul Servais, David film of the same title, has an aura psyche seems to shine through Borthwick, Piotr Kamler, Jerzy of singular mystery and horror. the figure that Norstein has creat- Kucia or my ex-students, Agnieszka Some commentators will have it ed on the screen. Just a few sec- Woznizka and Annica Gianini. All that the character in question was onds into the projection we forget of them -– just like those men- played by a real vampire passing that there is any “animation” tioned earlier — treat animation as as Max Schreck, meaning “fear.” involved and start feeling as if we a medium of metaphysical inquiry, His name cannot be found on any were spying on some living crea- proving the seriousness of their roster of actors’ names of that ture in its intimate world, where it work with titanic effort and con- time. His uncanny movements are goes about its business with sin- centration. Whoever begins to almost identical to those of an ani- gular innocence, like a tiny animal compile such a list runs an obvious mated puppet. deep in its little burrow. risk: it is difficult to stop adding Experimenting with the Yuri Norstein once declared new names, but the only people I

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200135 can talk about are those whom I biased, I hope that the above Piotr Dumala is a Polish director, have come to know closely. I am comments can be interpreted as animator, screenwriter who has sure that everyone would present universally valid. I also believe that produced several award-winning a slightly different circle of artists they can inspire further reflection films, including Gentle Spirit with whom he or she feels con- on this subject. But here is where (Lagodna), Walls (Sciany), Franz nected to by some kind of affinity. my own reflections end. Kafka and Crime and I have noticed that none of Punishment. Recently he has the films that I had in mind when Translated by Michal Klobukowski. animated dozens of episodes of writing this essay uses dialogue or Nervous Life, a series for televi- any sort of commentary; some of Note: Readers may contact any sion, and teaches animation at them are completely silent. Maybe Animation World Magazine the Film School of Lodz in words are too unequivocal, contributor by sending an e-mail Warsaw. Dumala is also a writer maybe they disrupt the mood of to [email protected]. of short stories and essays, a mystery, defile the purity of a poster designer (he won the process which is as self-governed prize for best poster at the as flowing water, growing plants, Annecy Festival in 1993) and an moving animals, a chemical reac- illustrator of books and journals. tion, an alchemical transmutation. He is also a guest professor at the Although my thoughts on Komstfack Animation House in the connection between anima- Eksjö , Sweden, and the Film tion and alchemy are naturally School in Lodz, Poland.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200136 Monthly provocative,drunken, idiotic ramblings from the North… ley da roll. Rollin’. Anticipate direc- tion and locate the bag entrance. Once done, move there. Waitin’ Animation for ya bag. Got it. Exit. Freedom. Nope. S’another uniformed jerk. They wave ya by. Ah, the doors. Festival Travel Hopes. Dreams. Anticipation of the (k)new. Now scenario varies Tips #1: significantly.

Scenarios: Waiting 1. Friend arrives giddily, tearily waving, huggin’ and takes you to Illustration by Andreas Hykade. Courtesy of Chris Robinson. their small Euro car. by Chris Robinson 2. Sign carrying stranger arrives. ’not really travellin’ since it’s sea. Not much more waitin’. But Feigns excitement. Follow them mostly waiting. Waitin’ for still you’re waitin’ for initial land- through a parking lot. ‘Nother one Sticket. Ticket. Waitin’ for ing. Waitin’ for collection of hour drive, half tanked making talk departure day. Waitin’ to get to air- earcovers. Blankets. Pillows. Crap. with a stranger. port. Waitin’ in line to check in. Waitin’ for final approach/landing. 3. No one. On your own. Taxi. Waitin’ to do security. Waitin’ for Bing. Waitin’ to touch down. Train. Bus. (Steal a car?) boarding. Waitin’ for aisle num- 4. ‘Nother connection. ber (strangely, despite having Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee reserved/designated seats, folks be ecccccccccccccccccccccchhhhhh- Now given that cartoony racin’ to the plane. What for?) hhh....THUUUUUUUUUUMMMM parties are held in remote off da Boarded. Waitin’ for those slow MMMpppppppppp. wall areas (Annecy, Ottawa, fuggers to get their asses out of Landed. Waitin’ for gate Hiroshima, Baden, Brisbane, the aisle so ya can sit down. arrival. Yeah, yeah...we know wait Utrecht), you can basically assume Seated. Waitin’ for takeoff. 1. ‘til the captain switches off the that....spite arrivin’/landin’ you got Backout. 2. Taxi (usually gotta wait seatbelt sign. (Always a few silly at least ‘nother one hour or so for a few planes). 3. Finally in the fuggers scrambling in the aisle like ‘fore getting to your hotel. Ok...so air. Now...waitin’ for cruising level. theys never done dis ‘fore.) Bing. you’re in a moving vehicle. Waitin’ Cruising. Waitin’ for drinks. And Here. Madness. Chaos. Like movin’ resumes. Waitin’ to get to town. you’re waitin’ to die most of da round in a closet. Waitin’ for open Waitin’ to get to the hotel. Hotel. time. Food dislodges thoughts of doors. Open. Waitin’ for move- Farewell to stranger. You’re cloudy death. Waitin’ for pick up so you ment. Movin’ but waitin’ for usual- now...really screwed up...like ya can lift your tray. (Wishing that ly 4-6 folks who stop dead on to been last one home from the shitheel in front would move their grab a HUGE bag (shouldn’t even party. Waitin’ for reception. Least seat up so your foiled dogmeat be there) from above. Off. Walkin’. ‘nother five minutes (assuming isn’t jammed in your nose.) Walkin’. Walkin’. Liberation? Nope. you’re booked)...gotta fill the Checkin’ the screen ta see how far. Customs. Waitin’. Waitin’. Waitin’. form...gotta pull your credit Movie starts. Death thoughts sub- Waitin’. Waitin’. Waitin’. Waitin’. card...gotta get the key...all dis side again. Crappy movie but Waitin’. Waitin’. Waitin’. Waitin’. shit. Ok. Done. Waitin’ for ‘vator. you’re lovin’ it ‘cause the 2 bottles Waitin’. Waitin’. Waitin’ Officer. Waitin’ for floor. Waitin’/lookin’ for o’ red has hit ya twice da speed. Likes he/she waitin’ to make you room. Hopefully the damn key Bad comedies make you roar. Bad wait. FACADE of POWER ends. works. You’re there. Problem is you dramas make you weep like a Waitin’. (Lesson #1: Be damn sure DEAD to da world and it’s only 11 Hilton shower. Meanwhile from to bring only carry on...you can am. You wanna sleep...but you’re begin ta end you’re always waitin’ do it and don’t risk losin’ lug- anxiously awaitin’ seein’ ya mates. to doze. Never comes. Movie gage...lost mine least 4-5 times.) Fug dem. Sleep a little (not too ends. Windows open. Over the So there ya are. Waitin’ for the trol- much...aim to stay up ‘til your nor-

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200137 mal beddie time so you’re on track other negative comments for your chistic forum (or variety show if demain). Course now y’r waitin’ ta competition that sounds better) for debates, sleep. Not so easy with da light. * Screenings in Annecy criticism and commentary about Try a hot shower or even a little any and all aspects of animation, pull on da pud (as good as sex at Hottie Animator ‘o da Month especially the art of animation this point). Ah to sleep...perchance Is it wrong to be attracted (whatever that means). to...you know. to someone who made a film S’bout 4ish. You feel like ‘bout incest? Chris Robinson is a writer, festival poop. Get up. Have ‘nother show- director, programmer, junky and er or just wet your mug. Get The Animation Pimp is doesn’t give a shit about you. His dressed and you’re ready ta go. brought to you by AAA Ladies hobbies include horseback riding, Let the FUN begin. From Shanghai, servicing the sex- pudpulling, canoeing and goat ual needs of the animation com- thumping. Upcoming Tips: munity since August 1999. * Airports to avoid getting stuck in * The Wonderful World of Booze Join Chris online in the Note: Readers may contact any * Cool places to puke. The Animation Café at: Animation World Magazine http://www.creativeplanet.com/ contributor by sending an e-mail A list of swear words, insults and communitycenter/, a sort of anar- to [email protected].

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200138 Joshua Seth’s 10 Steps to Voice Over Success by Joshua Seth “How do I break into voice overs?” Technique are good places to I get asked this question a start. I include the Alexander lot. Whatever the answer is, it isn’t Technique because the voice is an merely to “have an interesting inseparable part of the whole sounding voice.” It takes a bit body and so anything that furthers more than that. And with that in one’s own understanding of how mind, the good folks at Animation to move and breathe correctly is World Network have asked me to beneficial for the voice. elaborate. So here goes, in no par- Joshua Seth, voice over actor. ticular order: Read out loud Photo courtesy of Joshua Seth. I know of no better way to certain archetypal characteristics Be an interesting person put into practice all the above- that recur over and over, regard- You can only create a char- mentioned training than to read less of the type of story that’s being acter up to the limits of your out-loud. I read fiction, drama, told. Even a commercial tells a story. knowledge and imagination, and screenplays, magazine ads, just So read out-loud and get comfort- probably not even that far. So how about everything out loud for at able with being a storyteller. anybody who’s not an interesting least an hour a day. It’s important person to begin with could expect to assume the roles you’re read- Voice acting is acting to breathe life and color into a ing, not merely to recite them. If In fact, I think of voice overs character that heretofore only you actually dramatize what as one of the purest forms of act- exists in black and white is beyond you’re reading, you will begin to ing possible, because you’re focus- me. Be an interesting person, full accrue a well rounded cast of ing all of that creativity through of life and curiosity and questions, characters rather than the usual only one mode of expression. You and you will be able to find all repertoire of imitations and imper- can, and will, be anything. It those qualities in the roles you sonations. Even now, I find that allows for a range of interpretation hope to portray. the characters I portray in this way that’s creatively liberating and end- often find their way into auditions lessly stimulating. Think of it as act- Train your voice and roles of all kinds. There are ing, pure and true, and you’ll free Imagine a pianist banging yourself to perform with every- on the same half octave, wearing thing you have inside: just don’t down the same four keys, all day get so carried away that you for- long and you’ll begin to under- get about the mic. stand how most people treat their voices. The human voice is a beau- Know the marketplace tiful and dynamic instrument. You Watch cartoons and listen must treat yours well if you want it to commercials. Seems simple, but to perform. Recording sessions the people you’ll be auditioning typically last several hours and for have worked on these projects there can be several sessions in a and they can contain clues as to day, so clarity and stamina are what they’ll be looking for in the essential. There are many ways to Seth voices Tai, the adventurous, future. Get to know the names in soccer-playing leader of the original train one’s voice: breathing exercis- DigiDestined from Digimon.the Movie. the credits and the styles associat- es, singing lessons and Alexander © 2000 Fox Kids.All rights reserved. ed with those teams of people.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200139 Be able to direct yourself destination. Bullshit! If you don’t Know thyself An actual direction I’ve ever bother to determine where It all comes down to this: all received: “There was a bit too you’re headed you’ll only wind up you can give to anyone else you much blue in that take. Let’s do it going in circles. Take a little time must first be able to give to your- again and better, OK?” You can’t each day to think about where self. Be good to yourself. Have always rely on your director to you’re going. Where do you want respect for yourself and you’ll have have a clear idea of what he to be in 5 days, 5 months, 5 years, respect for your profession. Take wants you to do, and even if he 50 years? Write these destinations an interest in yourself and you’ll does, you can’t always rely on him down and revise them from time find an endless fascination in oth- to effectively communicate that to time. It’ll save you from having ers. Everything is a reflection of idea to you. Better to have devel- to go through a midlife crisis in you: your mindset, your outlook, oped a critical ear and a certain order to figure them out. your desires, your fears. Believe it objectivity toward your own work. when someone says that this busi- After all, you’re hired to get the job ness is hard to break into and it will done; and when it comes right be. But know in your heart of down to it, it’s your performance hearts that voice acting is in your that will be judged not how you future, and act accordingly, and arrived at it. There are some great the future may be closer than you directors out there, and this is in think. no way meant to disparage the value of their work, merely to For more articles about voice inspire you to develop the capaci- overs, acting and casting visit ty to compliment their insights the Animation World Magazine with your own. Archives online at: http://www2.awn.com/archives Be a student of life, not a stu- and type in the above key words dent of classes to get an array of past articles. “Show business is the busi- ness of show,” said the wise old Joshua Seth is a voice over actor teacher to the wide-eyed student with the Arlene Thornton Agency as he took his money and prattled in Los Angeles. He trained at on into the night. There’s no end New York University’s Tisch to the classes you can take as an Joshua Seth’s voice over success gives School of the Arts where he actor: voice, dance, speech, him a lot to smile about. holds a BFA with honors in Film movement, improvisation and on Photo courtesy of Joshua Seth. as well as Philosophy. He can be and on and on. There’s certainly a Think of yourself as a business heard as “Tai,” the starring role in value to proper training, but you You are a piece of meat. Or 20th Century Fox’s animated fea- must have a clear idea of what a can of dolphin-safe tuna, if you ture film Digimon the Movie. your goals are and take it as your will. You are a product and you Arlene Thornton & Associates: own responsibility (not the don’t want to spend your shelf life 818-760-6688. teacher’s) to achieve them or it will unconsumed. Every product needs all become nothing more than an good packaging, placement and Note: Readers may contact any endless stream of high priced marketing. Every product must fulfill Animation World Magazine information. You learn from every- a need. Who needs you? Why? contributor by sending an e-mail thing in life, but to be a student of How will you call attention to your- to [email protected]. life, you must apply those lessons self and keep it there? At a certain to a larger goal. point in your career, these become questions for your agent, manager Set goals and publicist. In order to get to that It’s often said that life is point, you need to answer them about the journey and not the yourself.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200140 flinch: The House That Flash Built by Gregory Singer hances are you’ve already programmers of Vortex consulted been entertained by the directly with the people of Chard work and creative FutureWave, providing technical excellence of Flinch Studio. But In the Beginning… and artistic feedback. Future maybe you haven’t met properly. The Flinch story may have Splash, of course, was soon to be So consider this your polite and its beginnings as far back as the bought out by a company called privileged introduction to an ani- ancient, Atari-waning years of Macromedia, and retooled into mation house which is not only 1985. A young up-start kid, Chris the Flash program that we all surviving the hesitations and half- Takami, had just gotten a job in know and love today. During the starts of the new media revolution the mailroom of DIC. But by 1990, last few years of the 1990s, with — but is, in fact, helping to pio- Takami was already producing his the market for CD-Rom games neer it. own shows, and running his own slowly saturating, Vortex Media It’s a common, and fair, boutique animation studio, Lil’ Arts closed up shop, and its princi- assumption that San Francisco Gangster Entertainment. Soon pal members went on to explore and New York City are the two after merging with a program- other directions. Grillo, unsurpris- hubs of the Internet hubbub. But ming group called Strategic Vision, ingly, continued to delve into the with clients like Warner Bros., Jim the two companies became Flash software, learning how to Henson Productions, 20th Century Vortex Media Arts — which was ‘reverse engineer’ the traditional Fox, Disney Online, Adam Sandler the original fire out of which animation for which he was and Tim Burton carved into their Flinch’s future founders would be trained. Grillo became an expert bedpost, it doesn’t require a huge forged. Vortex was unique among with the program to the point he leap of faith or imagination to the companies of its time for creat- was teaching it at the university know that Flinch Studio is doing ing animation-based and graphi- level, at Santa Monica College’s something right. Founded and cally-driven CD-ROM games, Academy of Entertainment and functioning by the “sweat-equity” churning out such titles as the mil- Technology. of traditional animation artists, the lion-unit seller Tonka Construction Santa Monica-based studio is a for Hasbro, Madeleine’s European new media entertainment compa- Adventures for Electronic Arts and ny located in the backyard of Virtual Springfield for Fox’s The Hollywood. Simpsons. In 1996, Vortex was tapped by Disney Online to create a Winnie-the-Pooh book for the fledgling World Wide Web, and Tony Grillo, an Atlanta-bred anima- tor working on the project, was using FutureSplash to build it. At Will Amato, Flinch Studio’s art director. the time, even in its infancy, Grillo realized the latent promise and Will Amato, the art director potential of the software. In four on Tim Burton’s Stainboy, recalls: “I or five years, he insisted, “This pro- went to the Academy to scrape gram is going to be huge,” and he the rust off my drawing skills, and Tony Grillo, Flinch Studio’s CEO/creative thought it would behoove him to to become a traditional paper ani- director, Mike Viner, Flinch’s senior pro- learn it. mator. Tony was such a free-roam- ducer and Chris Takami, Flinch’s presi- dent (left to right).All photos and images Interestingly, during their ing personality. He was making © Flinch Studio. work for Disney, the artists and this stuff come alive as he was

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200141 demonstrating it, and you could see his delight in it. It was hap- pening in real-time; he was actual- ly making these things come to life before my eyes.” About a year-and-a-half ago, during the spring of 1999, as the rest of the world was steeling itself for the millennial meltdown, Grillo decided “to get the band back together.” The principals from Vortex Media Arts, Chris Takami, Milton Pool, Flash animator. Flash animator Martin Cho hard at work. Mike Viner and himself decided to Web design, to creating challeng- had a good feeling about us.” translate their vision of blending ing interactive projects (e.g., mix- When Adam Sandler wanted to technology with animation to the ing music tracks live in real-time, create a stand-alone animated burgeoning Web. The three part- with interwoven character anima- segment (The Peeper) for his then ners started the company with tion), it became apparent that “the upcoming album, he chose Tom artists gathered from the Vortex Internet is only limited by how we Winkler, from Doodie.com, to be days, a few of Grillo’s “stars” from can deliver the information to the Webtoon’s director. Tom need- Santa Monica College and others you,” explains Grillo. ed a full-fledged studio to handle from a range of diverse back- the six-minute production and out grounds. Grillo wanted to create Building A Rep of their earlier association, Warner an environment where artists By this time, Warner Bros. Bros. unhesitatingly pointed to would have more control over the was beginning to establish its own Flinch Studio. Tom provided Flinch content they were breaking their online presence, Entertaindom with the characters and story- backs on. This was the birth of .com. Previous work with Bugs boards, and Flinch did the rest. Flinch Studio with Grillo as CEO Bunny had demonstrated to Eighteen million downloads later and creative director, Takami as Warner Bros. that Flinch could (the most for any Internet show to president and Viner as the hands competently and faithfully care for date), The Peeper created a huge on senior producer. There were its properties. As Amato says, “They growth curve for the studio artisti- more than a few people happy jealously guard their material. We cally and commercially. and willing to leave the factory- had handled them well, so they Following projects with style production of TV and feature animation. Flinch Studio began its work doing small, freelance proj- ects: the Website and online gam- ing, for example, of Doug’s First Movie; and other short animations for Kellogg’s, the Muppets and Warner Bros. Each project helped to hone the skills and sensibilities of the studio’s artists and program- mers. When an assignment came, it was an opportunity for everyone to push the boundaries and explore the possibilities of the medium. In fact, part of Flinch’s success is that they have refused to settle into becoming a one-trick A background sketch by Brian Chin, who wears many hats at the studio including animation house. From complex background and character designer and layout artist.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200142 Z.com and others, Flinch again liked that do-it-yourself scale.” senior producer Viner describes found itself in cahoots with When Amato did some the initial collaboration as a Warner’s, but this go-around on a Flash-based watercolor versions of “moment of osmosis.” Yet this is, project that won’t officially pre- Burton’s work, Burton then real- despite its being a lean operation miere until February 2001. ized he was in good hands. of about 20 people, the secret Animated by Film Roman, The Amato continues, “He felt he could strength of Flinch Studio – its Oblongs is a television series that relax a bit. I think he felt that Flinch emphasis on artistic sensibility. no one has really seen yet, not was concentrating and noticing even Flinch, and yet there are over things that he had put a great deal Where There is a Will,There is thirty sequences on the Internet of care into: like texture and line. a Way which Flinch has created “based We were putting other things that So far Grillo’s plan of put- on model packs, audio recordings a lot of studios might have consid- ting the power back in the artists’ and whatever feedback we could ered important — like wacky char- hands is working and Flash get from the show’s creators,” acter movements and bouncy appears to be a major part of this explains Flinch senior producer motions – on the back burner. coup. Amato elaborates on the Viner. If they were ever going to be parallels of innovation and revolu- This kind of collaborative used, they were going to be used tion in this new digital media: “I freedom and creative latitude sparingly.” think Flash is kind of epochal. A comes from Flinch’s growing repu- guy like me can create a whole tation as an adventurous, high- show, conceivably, given enough quality studio, where they are not time, with a program that costs just given a project to execute, but about 250 bucks. And that, to me, they are often co-creators in it. is a radical, radical thing.” Nothing could be more emblematic Brian Chin, background of this collaborative success than and layout artist for Flinch, con- Flinch’s realization of Tim Burton’s curs: “If you can write, draw the Stainboy for shockwave.com. pictures, do the sound and put it When Tim Burton wanted together yourself, you could do it. to animate for the Web some of That’s not to say anybody’s going Penny Kaisaki, Flash animator. the characters from his book, The to pay you for it, but at least you Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & While Burton is certainly can get that far, which is light- Other Stories, the William Morris the catalyst for the show, it has years beyond what any of us Agency introduced him to Flinch been a very open and evolving would have been able to do a Studio. Apparently, it was a natural process in terms of looks, tech- mere five or ten years ago.” fit. Burton came to the studio with niques and storylines. Burton has Brian comes from an watercolor designs of his charac- been very supportive and encour- almost two-decade history in tele- ters, and Amato remembers: “He aging of Flinch to be adventurous vision animation, most recently at was really concerned with it not with the narrative style of the Warner’s. The freedom and inde- looking like your standard Web show, and the production has pendence of working in a Flash- cartoon. He emphatically did not moved forward, episode to based studio is a welcome change want that. He really liked the idea episode, in a very challenging and as Brian comments: “You can cre- of it being, as Tim put it, ‘No big organic way. (Flinch has complet- ate your own film, right here, you deal.’ Meaning – a few artists ed 6 of the 13 scheduled episodes don’t need to have a staff over- could do it, on a few computers; of Stainboy, and will resume pro- seas.” Brian’s first animation job he could work with us very direct- duction once Burton has conclud- was working on Filmation’s He- ly, in a very informal way; there ed location filming for his upcom- Man: Masters of the Universe. He would be no budgetary commit- ing live-action adaptation of Planet remarks on the irony of coming full tees, no big overhead producer. It of the Apes.) circle in his career: “The funny would be almost like we were In commenting on Flinch’s thing is that we used to say how staying up all night making a success in maintaining the integri- bad it was — the stock system. It funny comic book together. He ty and charm of Burton’s vision, was the cheapest, and it’s very sim-

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200143 working at Flinch because it is always pushing him, creatively. He agrees that one of the attractions of working at a smaller production house is that he gets to have his hands in a little bit of everything: character designs, storyboarding, keyframing.

Scott Lowe, Brad Bradbury and Cory LaScala, more of Flinch Studio’s Flash animators (front to back). ilar with what we try to do with when he first came to Flinch. He Flash now.” But Brian notes that practiced intensively for a month, working on low-budget projects before he officially came on board. Mike Viner, senior producer and has helped him to economize his “Of course what they do here is Cory LaScala, Flash animator. work, and achieve things in a not really the type of thing that more efficient manner. “We try to you would ever find by going Setting Up for the Long Run get the most mileage out of some- through a book,” he says. Flinch Studio is not only thing that could be very minimal.” Lead animator Rob Lilly, artist-driven, but, in a nutshell, Amato echoes this senti- who hails from Michigan and stud- eclectic. Grillo explains: “The prin- ment: “It’s a case where sometimes ied at the Union’s Local 839 cipals of Flinch have the widest the limitations are hidden American Animation Institute, variety of backgrounds I’ve seen in strengths. A lot of times you put a freely admits to the merits of Flash an entertainment studio. There are so-called limit on a creative person, — how, for example, it speeds up roots in prime-time animation, and it fosters the most inventive the process of production. But Saturday morning cartoons, com- solutions.” when he was first introduced to mercials, edu-tainment, broadcast With respect to using Flash, the technology, he thought, “No design, underground comics, elec- Amato remarks, “There’s a standard way, I’m not going to touch a tronic gaming, independent film, Flash look, which is flat colors computer. I want to stick with tra- studio feature film, alternative jour- placed into single-width lines. But ditional animation, the old-fash- nalism, advertising and industrial there’s this plastic aspect of it, ioned way, pencil and paper.” video. The combination of knowl- there’s the beauty of abstract After a time, he relented: “Alright, edge and influences that these shapes, of 2D shapes that can be let’s look at this damn thing and past careers bring to Flinch has pushed and pulled sculpturally. see what it can do.” Rob still allowed us to quickly adapt to a Flash is this reservoir of effects that begins most of his work on paper, decidedly multi-directional indus- has not been challenged much.” for inspiration, but about 80% of try.” Mary Jane Amato for example, Amato is quick to point out that Flinch’s work is drawn directly in who alternately (and with equal the artists at Flinch are doing some the computer. Lilly explains: “Flash grace) wears the hats of chief jaw-dropping stuff — even people is just a new tool for animation, financial officer, secretary and pro- without a deep background in that’s all it is. You’re going to see duction coordinator at Flinch (and fine arts, “whose talents have just more and more traditional anima- is Will Amato’s sister), comes from a blossomed because of this one tors come to this artform, because history of ten years in theater, and, tool called Flash.” there are not that many jobs out most recently, six years at the For instance, Brian didn’t there in traditional.” Having come Museum of Contemporary Art. have much experience with Flash, from Sony himself, Rob enjoys If Grillo is, as Lilly describes

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200144 him, “energetic, happy and slap- where between the games that whole, instead of little bits here py,” then Takami is, in a word, pas- we play and the television that we and there.” sionate. He sees, with the clearest watch.” Flinch draws on its strong Flinch Studio is also posi- vision and imagination, the future background in interactive media tioned to introduce Flash technol- of Flinch – and for him it’s just a to produce character-driven, ogy to the traditional animation matter of stepwise and patiently immersive environments, to pull houses as a viable option for them translating that vision to the televi- viewers into the world that it cre- to produce their shows at a lower sion or computer screen. ates. The current wisdom is that cost. Not all cartoons, of course, content online will ultimately be are suited for Flash, but certainly a an integration of the old and new lot of them could be achieved paradigms of entertainment, a therein: Johnny Bravo, King of the hybrid of the two styles of media. Hill and South Park are a few that Content will be interactive when come immediately to mind. and if you want it to be, without encroaching on your freedom to navigate through an environment as you choose. When Takami demonstrates prototypes of Flinch’s Websites to different groups of people, children often- times want to play with and to interact with the characters, again and again; whereas sometimes Johnny Kickass, part of the original char- adults don’t have the time or acter line-up from Flinch’s Nickky Teen. patience to deal with them. With a Michelle Romaine, producer and Rob Lilly, Flash animator. What distinguishes Flinch click of the mouse, the characters among online animation studios, are gone, and Takami acknowl- With projects in the works and what has helped it to survive edges it’s a balance. Who is the tar- for J. Walter Thompson, an adver- the recent Internet shake-out, is get audience, and what is the tising firm, and 20th Century Fox’s that, as Takami explains, “Flinch is experience you’re trying to create forthcoming stop-motion animat- not a portal. We didn’t create our for them? The application varies ed feature Monkeybone (bitemy- studio as a portal.” Flinch does not for each client. monkey.com), Flinch Studio takes focus its energy and resources in Flinch continues to push its its work very seriously, in helping creating an exclusive channel for research and development in pur- to define the model for new people to find and go to. Rather, suing novel ways to use the Flash media entertainment. Viner Flinch provides its services directly software. Moving more toward expresses his appreciation that to entertainment, Fortune 1000, intensive database-driven strate- companies are taking the risk to and educational content compa- gies of design, coupled with AI explore this new medium, and nies. Flinch’s goal is to make the (artificial intelligence) program- that they are trusting Flinch with Web a more entertaining, engag- ming, Emil Petrinic, Flinch’s their creative goals: “It’s always ing and unique place to be. inhouse programming and techni- good to see people be brave “Websites are generally used to cal genius, explains, “We have enough to say, ‘Hey, nobody’s house or to exhibit entertaining basically invented a lot of ways of done this before, but I think it’s a content, whereas our belief is that using the technology and tools: good idea. Let’s put some money the Websites themselves are part new ways of Flash interacting with behind it.’” of the content.” a database, different ways of con- Regardless of the industry’s Using its work-for-hire ceptualizing how to interact with present vacillations and hiccups, model to evolve with the industry, the next generation of Websites.” there will always be a market for Takami summarizes Flinch’s vision: He adds, “I know that others are animation online. Viner com- “We believe that the future of going in that direction, as well, ments, “I don’t think in 2 years, 5 online entertainment lies some- but we’re putting it together as a years or 10 years from now, peo-

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200145 ple will look back and say, ‘I clientele, and that’s not an acci- remember that year when there dent. After all,” he concludes, with was entertainment on the Web.’ his characteristically buoyant It’s simply not going to happen. humor, “if it stops being fun, I’m People may look back and remem- the first one to bail.” ber before broadband was popu- lar, when animation was only Gregory Singer is an independent three minutes on the Web.” animation producer living in a Inspired by a lot of the small hut on the edge of the undersung, underground work known visible universe. No ani- being done, Amato remarks, mals were harmed or consumed “There are a few Flash artists fight- in the writing of this article. ing to get interesting work out there before the corporate gates Another original Flinch character, close on the individual spirit.” He Teena Teen from Nickky Teen. Note: Readers may contact any adds, “Flinch tries to successfully exists in a corporate milieu.” Animation World Magazine bridge the two – an independent, Grillo agrees: “Flinch has contributor by sending an e-mail creative spirit matched with the been able to maintain a healthy to [email protected]. needs of a client, which often balance of creative and corporate

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200146 show is timed to be 2 to 3 times the length of the average wait time. When people enter the Men In Black experience, they are greeted by MIB Director, Agent Zed (Rip Torn), who apologizes about the phony Goes Into the Dark theme park nonsense that they, as new MIB trainees, had to endure. by Jacquie Kubin During the pre-ride “holding” process Agent Zed provides a make it unique. With Men In Black, training lecture regarding aliens the idea was to create a dark ride that live among humans and MIB’s attraction with repeat ride-ability. mandate to keep them under con- Now we have done a 3D ride in trol. Trainees learn a little bit about the dark before, and our Spider- alien spotting, as well as the prop- Man attraction is a 21st century er use of the MIB issue guns and dark ride, but MIB: Alien Attack is a the vehicles they will be using dur- step back to showmanship and ing their training mission. In keep- technical flair.” ing with the movie, MIB facilities Outside Universal Studios Florida’s newest attraction — the largest dark ride and actions are secret, even in history featuring Men In Black! All pho- Enter MIB though they are hidden in very tos courtesy of Jacquie Kubin. For the theme park, MIB plain site. All of this is taking place trip inside Universal Studios offered itself as the perfect proper- in a massive 70,000 square-foot Florida’s newest attraction ty for its next incantation on multi- building! A— the largest dark ride to ple levels. It combines theatrical date featuring Men In Black! visuals with fast-paced thrills while The best entertainment thrusting its occupants through a wraps things that we know in life size, interactive video game new packaging. The Universal where the points earned actually Studios Florida theme park proves affect the outcome of the riders’ this by premising its attractions on experience. In addition, the movie popular studio films such as enjoyed a broad demographic A variety of instantly recognizable aliens Terminator, Twister, Jaws and appeal with its combination of compose a large part of the amusement King Kong. Rekindling the real- comedy, action, adventure, drama park’s new ride. world mystery of the July 1947 and science-fiction. Cementing the Then two training vehicles, alleged crash of an extraterrestrial concept was that movie lead which operate in tandem teams of vehicle near Roswell, New Mexico actors, Will Smith and Rip Torn, 6 people, blast into an interactive and then mixing it up within a were both willing to participate in video game whose goal is to 1964 retro-modern-style plaza the attraction’s development. The shoot as many aliens as possible. plucked from the New York World’s conceptual phase began in Game players quickly learn from Fair, Men In Black (MIB): Alien December 1997 with the first Agent Jay (Will Smith) that a shut- Attack is the largest dark ride ever ideas of a dark ride emerging in tle carrying some nasty bugs conceived. “The art of making a February 1998. The entire devel- being deported to Planet LV-428 theme park track attraction is the opment, including designing has crashed and those bad bugs art of making an assembly line more than 400 aliens, the story, are roaming the streets of New interesting and with MIB we have vehicles, guns and animatronics York City. Featuring some of the taken the traditional dark ride and took from concept to opening day most extensive animatronics ever put it on its ear,” explains David an aggressive 27-months. Able to seen in a dark ride, MIB combat- Cobb, Creative Director for Men In move between 2,000 and 2,500 ants square off against 127 vari- Black: Alien Attack. “This ride is a people through the ride per hour, eties of aliens in an effort to rack people eater and the art form is to the high capacity attraction’s pre- up points, individually and as a

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200147 cumulative total for the car. Each by a hydraulic the size of a small is the way it encourages riders to of the alien figures has its own ani- travel vehicle with enough power rejoin the queue and ride again. matronic technology, with move- to lift a Winnebago at the rate of “The experience is different ment, lighting and sound. one time every three seconds. As depending on which track your riders approach the big bug split- vehicle is on and which aliens you Aliens Get Special Attention second decisions are crucial as shoot,” Cobb says. “The ending The comedy-based attitude they are literally pulled into the you will see will change depend- of the aliens, as seen in the movie “belly of the beast” and Agent Jay ing on your car’s cumulative score. was important to the design of the encourages them to shoot their Even the most experienced games ride. “The aliens had to have an way out of the slimy intestinal cav- won’t get the top ranking right instantly recognizable look even as ity. Depending on the riders com- away, it takes numerous rides.” the riders are whizzing by at 4-feet bined skill, they are either given a Men in Black: Alien Attack is per second,” Cobb says. “There is a hero’s welcome or a loser’s farewell a project that combined an array real art to the design and pro- before being zapped with an MIB of talents, from illustration, to gramming of a visual look that neuralizer, erasing their memory. painting, sculpting, architecture, makes the aliens funny and recog- aerospace and mechanical engi- nizable in the gaming sequence.” neering. Animators were used for Inserting alien gags into the ride the scene and alien illustrations as was the domain of character art well as for the character designs director Desiree Soto, who has and computer generated anima- aliens jumping out of trashcans, tion elements. “I like theme park exploding out of mailboxes and work because it gives me a chance swinging down from light poles. to be working with industrial ele- Huge animatronic aliens straight ments, movie sets and theater from the movie including The The MIB game-ride encourages riders design side by side with tremen- Twins, whose arm-span is 12’ from to return again as every trip is slightly dous talents,” Cobb says. “Working fingertip to fingertip and a bit different depending on game perfor- on a project like Men In Black is like more than 5’ tall, are featured mance scores. having the keys to the greatest toy throughout. The dispatcher alien, The game background, box on the planet and each of the last friendly face seen before conceived by artist James these people really put their hearts you take off on the adventure, is 6’ Pickering, is filled with as many into their work.” tall and 3’ in diameter. “These possibilities as New York has city aliens are human scale and are streets. Taking into consideration Jacquie Kubin, a Washington, run on hydraulics and pneumatics that the theme park has visited DC-based freelance journalist, hidden beneath skin designed to NYC streets within two other enjoys writing about the electron- look funny, slimy, goofy. The chal- attractions — King Kong which ic entertainment and edutain- lenge here is to make huge indus- offers a very realistic and cinematic ment mediums, including the trial robots, like the ones that view of the city and in the real-life Internet. She is a frequent con- assemble cars, that are warm, environment of the theme park’s tributor to the Washington Times fuzzy and can be continually run “Central Park” rest area — the MIB and Krause Publication maga- for hours every day,” says Cobb. attraction is based within a theatri- zines. She has won the 1998 The largest animatronic ever cally stylized setting that combines Certificate of Award granted by assembled by the Universal Studio Broadway stage with Technicolor the Metropolitan Area Mass talents is the ride’s finale Big Bug. A film noir. Media Committee of the warehouse sized alien bug 30-feet American Association of University high, this bad guy has teeth that One More Time! Women. are eight to 11-feet long and 20- While most theme parks are foot long claws. Part of the bug is designed to move large numbers Note: Readers may contact any sculpted scenery with other ele- of people from one attraction to Animation World Magazine ments, such as the teeth, fangs, the next, what may be the most contributor by sending an e-mail head and pincers being operated unique aspect of MIB: Alien Attack to [email protected].

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200148 A Look At Europe’s CartoonCartoon ForumForum with John Bullivant by Heather Kenyon

John Bullivant. Photo courtesy of TV-Loonland AG. rom September 20 – 23, 2000 Europe’s animation Fmovers and shakers arrived in the tiny Swedish village of Visby, a beautifully picturesque patch, to pitch and perhaps fund the latest in animation programs. An initia- tive of CARTOON, a part of the All other photos and images courtesy of Cartoon, EU’s MEDIA II program which is the European Association of Animation Film. designed to promote the produc- stock market. TV-Loonland This transaction included the pur- tion of animation in Europe, The announced a partnership with chase of New York City’s Sunbow Cartoon Forum is a vitally impor- Canadian-based television and Entertainment, which Sony won- tant place for projects to get off film company Alliance Atlantis der had bought in 1998. But wait! the ground. For an inside look on Communications to co-create up There’s more… In December, 2000 this past year’s Forum and how it to nine new children’s series. The a 65% stake in Seoul distribution fits into the rising tide of European German producer then went on firm Saerom Entertainment was production, Animation World to purchase Paris-based distribu- bought. Saerom is the third-largest managed to catch up with TV- tion house Salsa Distribution, a video and DVD distributor in Loonland´s Director of Programmes leader in the Latin market; British Korea and controls a leading John Bullivant. animation company Telemagin- Internet film portal, which it has John has spent the past ation; and German family Internet been leveraging as a new means months traveling the globe as he service provider FamilyHarbor.de. of distribution. Many wondered if attempts to keep up with TV- As if that wasn’t enough at MIP- the company was spreading itself Loonland AG’s aggressive expan- COM in the fall, the company pur- thin until on Monday, November sion. Here’s a brief recap: it all chased the television production 6, 2000, TV-Loonland announced began in April of last year one and distribution activities of Sony that the company expects annual month after the company went Wonder, the children’s production sales to top DM127 million public on Germany’s booming arm of Sony Music Entertainment. (US$55.9 million) for 2000 — ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200149 which is almost four times its origi- dy writers than it is by animation down boys’ trousers is not some- nal estimate when the company studios because the people who thing you can show to a younger went public. ultimately commission that kind of audience, but the question was Now, I am sure you can see programming usually run live- would your target audience of 15 why I telephoned three different action comedy departments. As in to 35 year-olds find it amusing or is continents before finally reaching the States and a number of other it too close to their own sort of John as he conducted business in countries, comedy is driven usual- experiences? It’s funny for those Telemagination’s new London ly by strong writing teams or pro- people who have moved out of offices… duction companies that have that phase of their life but is it still strong writers within them. going to be found as amusing for Heather Kenyon: What were a Therefore when you introduce ani- those people who are seeing their few of the most interesting proj- mation into those kind of slots stresses and angst played out on ects you saw pitched at Cartoon they’re more interested in your screen? But the pilot had a num- Forum? comedy credentials than they are ber of people laughing in the in your animation credentials. The aisles. Very simple designs. It was John Bullivant: In no particular medium becomes second to the going to be produced in Flash ani- order, there was a project called originators and the comedy talent. mation by the production compa- Dominion that was produced by a At the other end of the spectrum ny Fictitious Egg and was spon- U.K. live-action comedy writing was The Koala Brothers, a pre- sored by Channel 4. Again if you partnership called Fireside school project, in model animation make people laugh they sit up and Favorites. It was terrific. It’s a prime- from Famous Flying Films. I think pay attention. It was just a debate time 15 to 35 year-old audience that was one of the strongest pre- as to how you would get that show that had a very strong school shows presented, beautiful placed in broadcasters and design style and good comedy designs, very, very stylish sets, slick around the world especially since writing. It came from writing origi- presentation, charmingly animat- it is predominantly a children’s nators rather than from an anima- ed. There was no dialogue pre- market. A lot of the people there tion studio. For me, it was a kind sented in the animation but just wouldn’t have been able to sched- of Red Dwarf meets Black Adder, the way the characters were char- ule it in their air time. both of which are hugely success- acterized in the animation made it And there’s a show called ful live-action sitcoms in the U.K. It instantly appealing. That would be C.O.W.S., which stands for Covert had good character-based come- number two. Number three was a Operatives With Style, which is dy elements in a very distinctive show called Johnny Casanova. basically three bovines, very sort of visual style and was well present- glamorous, who are given special ed. Also, it was a strong team that HK: Andy Wyatt. missions in the same way that the put it together. They had a very three Charlie’s Angels get their mis- entertaining past number of short JB: Yes, which was highly enter- sions. You know secretly commu- films that they’d already produced taining and amusing in terms of a nicated to them. These three very for Channel 4. teenage boy’s struggling to come strong characters were amusingly together with his body, sexuality, presented and it seems like a very HK: And they have a track record life, girls and all that kind of thing. character-based comedy from if they’ve already produced. The interesting debate was where France Animation. It captured part it would play. What kind of slot it of the trend of the moment for JB: They have a track record in would fit into because your pro- strong girl driven properties. Girl comedy. Fireside Favorites is one tagonist hero was probably 13- power is very strong at the of the most sought after comedy years-old and the argument was moment. Those I would say are writing companies in the U.K. at he was too near the knuckle in my top four. the moment for sort of Channel 4 terms of the language and what and BBC 2, which is where that was actually talked about. The boy HK: Everyone’s looking for girls’ kind of prime time animation or ended up with a hamster down shows. late night animation places. It is his trousers and a girl goes looking more likely to be driven by come- for it physically. Girls putting hands JB: It’s kicked in the last 12 to 18

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200150 months where somehow it’s been deemed sensible to have a strong female protagonist. It started with things like Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Clueless, and now is starting to move into animation. I think it may run into difficulty in terms of the next 2-3 years. You’re going to go, ‘Oh, we’ve seen that. We’ve done girls in all the possible scenarios,’ and then people will go back to something else. But it’s about time. Long overdue in some ways. It’s more about having an appealing character. But the world is changing. Broadcasters are dis- covering that the child audience is Cartoon d’Or nominees Jonathan Hodgson, José Miguel Ribeiro, Benoît Feroumont, Fabien Drouet and Siri Melchior. less dominated by the boy control- ling the remote. the beginning of next year. We’re didn’t like others, but I wouldn’t in the business of finalizing the say that meant the quality was HK: Plus more kids have separate broadcaster interest that followed lower necessarily. But also you TVs now. Gone are the days of on from our presentation. have to have a certain number of fighting for the remote. things in place like a domestic HK: Excellent, make sure we get broadcaster and European sup- JB: Yes, absolutely. that press release. port, produce certain materials, then present a pilot. The selection HK: Did you want to talk about JB: Shall do. committee is not operating on a, your shows? ‘We think this is a good project.’ HK: What do you think about the They operate on the basis that if JB: Yes, because that’s partial and overall selection of projects there, you meet these criteria of broad- biased and boring! We presented their quality and the range? caster supports, the right kind of a show called Ponqwiffy under the materials, an international co-pro- Telemagination banner, which we JB: I think there was an excellent duction partner or interest, then think is a strong show — that’s range of projects chosen, a very yes, you will have an opportunity why we took it there — and it’s strong cross section. Everybody to present your project. Then they been commissioned by ITV. It’s had produced the necessary mate- let the market decide. about a group of dysfunctional rials to a high standard. However, witches. It tends to play up more it’s hard to say because every pro- HK: Projects need to come to the their personality and their relation- ducer that turns up thinks that Cartoon Forum with a domestic ships rather than being kind of like they have a strong show. We work broadcaster interested? a magic oriented show, with lots in a very subjective industry, so I of spells and catastrophes like think it’s unfair for me to say, ‘The JB: Yes. They have to have interest when spells go wrong. It had a quality was low this year.’ I don’t from a domestic broadcaster, very positive reaction. We think it think it was one of those Forums whichever country they come has a lot of potential and there where there are two or three from, and have support from was significant interest afterwards. shows that absolutely everybody another European partner, which I think it was one of the strongest goes crazy over. This Cartoon could be a distributor or a co-pro- shows that was presented there. I Forum didn’t have that for what- ducer. There’s usually a writer don’t think I’d be arrogant enough ever reasons. It was much more of because — while I think you only to say it was the best, but I’m pret- a mixed reception. Some people need one script for the Forum — a ty sure it will go into production at liked some shows, other people broadcaster has to have seen a full

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200151 Cartoon Forum attendees enjoy the lawn and courtyard outdoors. set of scripts or something, to be not very often that a producer is in good, you’ll have a very hard time. able to turn around and say, ‘I will the position to say, ‘We presented People will walk out talking about broadcast this, subject to the suc- a show. You know there’s a huge your project and what they’re say- cessful development of financing.’ buzz on it and you know that your ing is, ‘No, I don’t think so.’ As a You have to present a sufficient competitors are interested.’ It then result it can be instant death amount of materials so that others becomes the seller’s market when because you’ve exposed it to so will be interested in coming in or literally 99 percent of the time it’s many people and effectively killed being part of the financing. the buyer’s market. That doesn’t it in front of them. happen in this kind of open forum HK: So, you are really there to get anywhere else basically. HK: Can you see the Cartoon the last pieces of the puzzle put Forums having a real impact on together. HK: Definitely not at MIPCOM, business in Europe? MIPTV where you see booth after JB: Depending on who you are booth. JB: Yes! There are a number of determines the company you are shows that have been financed looking for, the key pre-sales that JB: Exactly and there is a definite through Cartoon Forum. I think it’s will put your series into a green- advantage to having a room full of made a significant contribution to light situation. You could be a sig- 100 to 180 people. For it to go supporting and developing a nificant distributor that actually incredibly well in that 30 minutes strong European animation indus- feels fairly confident about going and get a standing ovation at the try and will continue to do so. It’s into production, but what you’re end, then there’s a buzz on the got to evolve because Europe is using the Forum as is an opportu- show. It’s very rare that that hap- becoming much more of a signifi- nity to present the project to a pens anywhere else. Everybody cant player. You know there are whole range of broadcasters. One feels that buzz. The producers feel strong independent media com- of the things that Cartoon Forum the buzz, the distributors do, as do panies like Hit in the U.K., or as gives the producers is…the table’s the broadcasters. I’m not aware of we have now in Germany EM.TV., slightly turned. If a producer has a any other forum that achieves IGEL Media, Greenlight Inter- strong show and it’s presented that. That’s a distinct advantage. national. France has strong pro- and it’s one of those shows with a Alternatively, you can kill your proj- ducers but hasn’t got those big huge buzz, then you may have ect in 30 minutes. It is a double- integrated companies because three broadcasters from the same edged sword. If you stand up and they haven’t had access to the territory all of whom would be make a dog of a presentation and French stock market yet. Therefore interested in it. It is one of those everybody comes in with an their industry is evolving from the very rare occasions where the enthusiasm, but leaves thinking small studios that came together power lies with the producer. It’s that the presentation wasn’t really say seven or eight years ago and ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200152 HK: That was my next question and the sort of million dollar question — perhaps literally.

JB: I would like to see non- Europeans allowed who are in the position to invest money in proj- ects. There aren’t that many proj- ects that happen purely on European finance. We need money from the rest of the world. No non-European, however, At the Happy Life press conference:Anita Simovic, Frederik Zandér, should be able to finesse it to be Peter Gustaffson and Torbjörn Jansson. allowed to present a project. You’d tried to collaborate in order to actually that we’re just doing that have to toughen up the criteria on gain financial independence. But exclusively for 2-1/2 days. It has a which projects get presented, oth- every year there are new people at very different atmosphere to MIP- erwise you’d find that people the market, who are benefiting COM. It’s much more sociable, would shove the work into a from something that was set up a much more relaxed. It is still fun- European company just to get it few years ago. I’ve been to a num- damentally sort of business-orien- exposed. I think you’d have to be ber but I’m not by any means the tated and a lot of good projects quite rigorous in scrutinizing the most long serving attendee. are seen and picked up, but it’s the origins of each project. It’s naïve to Cartoon Forum will survive and if bringing together of all the key maintain “fortress Europe” in terms people bring good shows, there’s people within Europe in what is of not allowing anybody else in more strength now in the actually quite a collaborative, as when I’d say maybe five out of ten European market to make those well as competitive, atmosphere. European shows need internation- happen. It is kind of leveling the There are debates about shows — al financing in order to happen playing film between Europe and from how people contribute, to either from distribution compa- North America. how a show should be developed nies, potential co-productions or — even if they have no vested broadcast sales internationally. We HK: What is the most effective interest in it. They do it willingly should be really keen to use other part of Cartoon Forum? and constructively. That’s one of people’s money. We should just the nicest elements, that people make sure that the money which JB: The most effective part of are prepared to do that rather Cartoon invests, which is Cartoon Forum is probably the than just say, ‘Why would I want European money, is going to sup- bar. The nicest thing about to help one of my competitors?’ It’s port the generation of European Cartoon Forum is the one thing not an issue. It’s a very small indus- ideas, that originate within that everybody rails against; they try, we all know each other and, European companies. I know that always choose some God-forsaken especially in the U.K., we all social- people are very reluctant about remote place that takes you a ize with each other as well as com- that, but people are also very keen whole day to get to! You can guar- pete with each other. I think that’s to have non-Europeans in. For the antee the hotel doesn’t have email one of its strongest credentials. first time I think Buena Vista Video points and has faxes that turn into The more it turns into a MIPCOM was allowed to attend. Again on a some sort of scroll when they final- the more it loses its uniqueness. pre-school show Buena Vista is in ly get them delivered to your a position to offer a significant room. But basically you’re obliged HK: Is there anything you’d like to source of production revenue. It’s to focus on animation from the see changed? naïve to think that they don’t find European point of view exclusive- out about the projects, and it’s ly, with 70 to 90 percent of the key JB: The biggest debate is whether actually healthier for the growth of people in Europe who can make we let non-Europeans into the a project’s development and things happen. It is quite nice Forum. financing for that person to be

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200153 there at its inception and put a card down saying, ‘I’d be very interested in this. I could offer this kind of money if you can cover three out of four territories.’ It empowers the producer. I think it’s commercially short sighted now. There were good reasons in the past but now that we’re secure and established in what the event is we should move forward [on letting non-Europeans in].

HK: Companies are naturally get- ting more global now. Siri Melchior being interviewed. JB: Absolutely. pitched about a hundred and I HK: (joking along) Oh, it’s awful. I think they can only take about 75. hate it with all that good French HK: Cartoon Network Europe is You don’t want people to say, food, by the lake, in the Alps! almost a completely separate ‘Time is precious and it’s not worth entity than Cartoon Network in going because I never see any- JB: I think it’s good to take a little the U.S. thing good.’ That’s going to be an step away from the office and the issue in the future — maintaining day-to-day grind of 10,000 emails. JB: They look to buy large people’s interest. But you can bal- It can actually be quite productive amounts of European content, ance that with as I said exotic in terms of how it liberates your and they’re also looking to co-pro- places and plenty of good drink- brain and what it allows it to think. duce just for Europe so I would ing venues. Then most broadcast If you just keep your nose pressed agree. I think the market has people will turn up for a couple of against the computer screen that’s moved on from where it was days. all you ever focus on. when Cartoon Forum was initially set up and it needs to move with HK: It’s the same with events in HK: You come back energized the times. It may need to be L.A., you get distracted, but when from events. How do you think stricter on the criteria for submit- you’re in Annecy, you’re stuck in more U.S. people will be allowed ting projects. I know it has a hard Annecy. to participate in the Forum? time keeping the number of proj- ects down because they get JB: (joking) It’s a nightmare, isn’t it? JB: That’s a decision for the organ-

Inside the pitching room. Another look into the pitching room.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200154 izers of Cartoon Forum. I don’t know what this kind of unofficial lobby is saying, but I would predict yes. It’s just a question of what cri- teria they’ll let in basically.

HK: You’re not the only person then saying this would be helpful.

JB: I don’t think so. I think maybe it’s unfair to say but it’s the people who operate on the international stage and understand how the shows actually get financed who are probably more in favor of it. A lot of the smaller producers are scared that they will get squeezed Visby in Gotland, Sweden, a beautiful medieval city containing seven magestic old out if they let the big bad North churches interspersed among quaint red-roofed homes, which line the narrow streets inside of the walled town. Americans in. They feel like they’ll get out maneuvered because have been exported massively into that you can actually have some- they’ve got smaller resources. I Europe. It’s cut across our industry. thing new to say, but it ties in very think that’s polarizing the debate The industry is changing now so well generally speaking. but that’s fundamentally the two Europe is becoming a much extremes. Investors who are not stronger force. The last thing you HK: For more discussion and to allowed to sponsor projects want to do is shoot yourself in the meet again. shouldn’t get access to them in foot just when the playing field is advance. They’d only get to see starting to level out by bringing in JB: Or possibly to finalize a devel- the projects when they are pre- the Trojan horse as it were. opment deal, a co-production deal sented which is their motivation to depending on how advanced the be there. I think that would be a HK: How does Cartoon Forum tie project is and what the appetite prudent next step that would pro- in to MIPCOM? for the property is. These things tect what the Forum set out to do always happen at the next big but also allow small independent JB: Cartoon Forum is very close to market. More time in between the producers access to money from MIPCOM which adds stress actual- two also makes planning your life big players. ly because the bigger companies, a damn sight easier. It’s a crazy distributors, broadcasters and thing, you do have to factor that HK: It would allow more access to other players, have to plan two in because people get fed up. the U.S. market. schedules at the same time. It They’re trying to go to all these varies, sometimes it’s a good thing, events, organize their lives back JB: Absolutely. sometimes it’s not. MIPCOM is a fol- home and do the job they’re sup- low up if you haven’t done all the posed to be doing. There’s only so HK: A terribly hard thing to get. business. If there’s strong interest in much flying around you can do your project you can have those before you start going mad. JB: It is. For a director there’s an follow up meetings because fairly opportunity for him to be picked rapidly everybody comes together HK: Do you attend Cartoon up by Nickelodeon, U.S. or Disney again. That’s fortuitous in some Movie? if he is so-minded or for his studio ways. The danger is if it gets too to be rated and seen. There are close. Often you need a month JB: I haven’t been. Our chief exec- upsides and downsides. I’m not between these things for projects utive, Peter Volkle, went this year saying that Europe has suffered at to move on, conversations to be so I don’t know that much other the hands but American products had, things to be fine-tuned so than it’s the movie equivalent of

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200155 from a feature film. There are a few video companies that are a com- mon link, but broadcasters don’t really need to be there. There’s not that many that buy animated fea- ture films or come in and co-pro- duce. It’s a whole different set of people who get involved in the feature film industry. The link is purely animation and the studios representing the producers. I think it would be a mistake to combine them.

HK: In the U.S. though, oftentimes a TV series will spin out of a feature.

JB: The animated feature market is dominated by the U.S. Live-action too whether it’s Godzilla or Men in A small crowd admires a beautiful ocean view from the host-city of Visby. Black. That’s part of franchise build- Cartoon Forum. It’s building in sig- JB: I suppose you could combine ing. The European film industry is nificance — I think it’s going to go them but you couldn’t have them not at that level. You know you’re from strength to strength — and running simultaneously. You’d not going to see the animated the nice thing is it can attract an have to start one and then follow series of Four Weddings and a adult audience, whereas Cartoon into the other. I think the danger is Funeral, The Full Monty or Billy Forum attracts essentially a chil- that it’s going to take a whole Elliot for example. We’re not pro- dren’s buying audience. The fea- week and that means you spend a ducing movies that have those ture film industry covers every- whole week at Cartoon, you kind of TV spin-offs at least not in thing really. You can present family spend a whole week at MIPCOM, the kids’ business. We’re still trying concepts or action-adventure con- a whole week at MIPTV, you might to build a competing European cepts that only play to an older go to NATPE — it really does start industry. audience. taking chunks out of your diary. I think to be honest they should be HK: But what about Help! I’m A HK: Do you think the events kept separate. Funding an anima- Fish? It is doing so well. We are should be combined? tion series is completely different hearing about it all the way in the U.S.

JB: Exactly. I think more and more shows and films like that are going to happen and it will become an increasingly popular event. Are American investors allowed into Cartoon Film? I would hope so ‘cause if you don’t bring in American film distributors more often than not you can pack up and go home. That’s where all the money is in terms of the film indus- try. I should imagine 80 percent of Hobnobbing in the courtyard. the money spent on films now is

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200156 coming out of America. Depriving yourself of that kind of financial support is perverse almost. Why make life that difficult for yourself when it’s nigh on impossible to get a feature film off the ground as it is?

HK: On the lighter side, I heard that Gotland has some pretty mean miniature golf courses — did you manage to get a game in?

JB: I didn’t no. Not because I don’t play, but because I’m a dedicated Festivities under the tent included trailer screenings along with daily meal services. professional! Actually, I’m one of who can afford to have fun, since Heather Kenyon is editor-in-chief of those sad people that never man- they present their show then have Animation World Network. After ages to get their life sorted out to time off. The rest of us have to receiving her B.F.A. in Filmic take advantage of all the facilities. check out everything just in case Writing from USC’s School of The locations are a treat and every we’re missing a diamond. Cinema-Television, she went to year I come away thinking, “God, work for Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. why I didn’t play mini golf?” But I Note: Readers may contact any Currently, she is an International never think about those things Animation World Magazine Board Member of Women In until I get there so it’s too late. contributor by sending an e-mail Animation and on the Board of Either that or it’s just the producers to [email protected]. Trustees for Trees for Life.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200157

It was very interesting to find out that more “sophisticated” projects seem to find their own Since September way now in the market. But time will tell!

by Heather Kenyon Tina Pappas the Forum that was successfully Head of Public Relations and aimed at its target audience. As a Communication, Artoon, S.A. direct result of the Forum, ZDF confirmed that they would pre- wtttw buy the series for Germany. BBC TV have now taken out an addi- Johnny Casanova - The tional license for digital rights and Unstoppable Sex Machine BBC Worldwide have put up an A series of 26 x 24 minute advance for worldwide distribu- episodes, produced by Elephant tion. The series is now in produc- Productions and Fictitious Egg tion and the first 13 will air in April Johnny Casanova - The 2001 followed by the second 13 Unstoppable Sex Machine is a next autumn. BBC Worldwide will series for television and the launch the series at the BBC Internet with Webisodes being Honeycomb’s Binka and the Last Showcase in February 2001. produced as part of the package, Christmas, just one of their current pro- aimed at a teen/adult audience. ductions. © Honeycomb Aimation. Sara & Simon Bor After a very successful presentation et’s check in with a few of Designers, Developers & Directors at Cartoon Forum in Gotland, the participants from this of Binka Sweden, co-producers Elephant Lpast year’s Cartoon Forum Productions and Fictitious Egg, and see where Gotland’s leads wtttw generated a great deal of interest have taken them. Participants from a number of potential include: Honeycomb Animation, Bahar investors, and as a direct result of Artoon S.A., Fictitious Egg and Sav! A series of 13 x 13 minute the Forum are now about to The World Productions. episodes, produced by Artoon, S.A. clinch a deal with universal. The All in all it seems that The Cartoon Forum in series follows the adolescent indeed Cartoon Forum is an event Visby was a great opportunity for adventures of 14-year-old Johnny that leads to real results. us to “test the waters.” Bahar is a Worms, who has changed his project addressed toward young name to Casanova in an attempt Binka adults, thus a project much more to attract girls. A pre-school series of 26 x 5 challenging than others, and diffi- Also at the Forum, minutes, produced by Honey- cult to fund as well! People liked Elephant Productions presented comb Animation the design very much and found the adult series Genius, based on Binka was presented to just the story quite intriguing. As soon the drawings of eccentric British under 100 TV buyers, distributors, as we finish development and cartoonist John Glashan, adapted producers and other animation send the complete dossier to all by Martin Village and Roger professionals at this year’s Cartoon those who expressed an interest, Planer, with animation directed by Forum in Gotland. The project had we will know whether or not we Graham Ralph. the advantage of already having a will go ahead. (Even though we sale to the BBC for UK terrestrial didn’t have a huge crowd, there Andy Wyatt rights. It was received extremely were people from Ellipse Fictitious Egg well and had very complimentary Animation, MTV Germany, EM TV things said about it, such as Binka Merchandising, among others, in wtttw being one of the few projects in attendance of our pitch.)

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200159 Thomas & Co. in pre-production and set for A series of 26 x 13 minute release in summer 2002. I am hop- episodes, produced by Sav! The ing to pre-sale the series to the World Productions American market at the upcoming Thomas & Co., one of the NATPE. most attended presentations at this year’s Cartoon Forum, has Savin Yeatman-Eiffel attracted considerable attention C.E.O. Sav! The World Productions since its debut in Gotland. and creator of Thomas & Co. Centered around the lives of five 11-year-old suburban kids Heather Kenyon is editor-in-chief Thomas, Chloe, Ian, Zac and Latifa of Animation World Network. — the series is a chronicle of every- After receiving her B.F.A. with day life, and a break from the typi- honors in Filmic Writing from cal action-adventure cartoon. USC’s School of Cinema- Thomas & Co. addresses all the Television, she went to work for issues young viewers might find Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. themselves confronted with in real Currently, she is an International life. More complex subject matters, Board Member of Women In like the divorce of parents, will Sav! The World Productions’ Thomas & Animation and on the Board of alternate with lighter ones, like a Co., a sitcom helping children with their Trustees of Trees for Life. first love, or simply, how to tell life issues from their point of view. your mom you want to quit those © Sav! The World Productions. dreaded piano lessons. In all cases, In advanced negotiations Note: Readers may contact any the stories will be treated with a lot with two major European broad- Animation World Magazine of humor, and a good dose of casters and a European cable dis- contributor by sending an e-mail emotion. tributor, Thomas & Co. is currently to [email protected].

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200160 Estonian animation director Janno Poldma has created an interesting Fresh from the Festivals: take that claims to be about rela- tionships. Like most Estonian films, though, the ‘story’ takes dryly January 2001’s humorous, unpredictable and sometimes enigmatic twists and turns, ultimately ending in a way Film Reviews that is satisfying, if not totally com- prehensible. Perhaps the best known of Poldma’s other directori- by Maureen Furniss al efforts, 1895 (made in 1995), is just as quixotic, though the two ithin the world of ani- 373 - 1755 Robson St., Vancouver, films are not what I’d call similar. mation, most experi- BC V6G 3B7, Canada. No doubt that is due to the fact Wmentation occurs Tel: 604-421-5046. Fax: 604-421- that 1895 was written by co-direc- within short format productions, 0957. E-mail: [email protected]. tor Priit Pärn. For one thing, On whether they be high budgeted URL:mypage.direct.ca/w/writer/C the Possibility of Love is without commercials, low budgeted inde- urrent.html. dialogue, while 1895 relies heavily pendent shorts, or something in Passport (1999), 7 min., directed on a constant stream of voice-over between. The growing number of by Siri Melchior, Denmark. Info: narration that provides the pre- short film festivals around the Royal College of Art, Kensington tense of a storyline. world attest to the vitality of these Gore, London, SW7 ZEV, England. On the Possibility of Love works, but there are few other Fax: 44-020-75904500. focuses on a family of three: a venues for exhibition of them or The Scarecrow (2000), 1.5 min., man, a woman and their son. The even written reviews. As a result, directed by Cheryl Meier, USA. boy is a bratty child who cuts his distribution tends to be difficult Info: Cheryl Meier, 1950 Barret father’s suspenders, puts salt in his and irregular. On a regular basis, Lakes Blvd. #213, Kennesaw, GA coffee and eats the family pet, Animation World Magazine will 30144, USA. Tel: 678-290-6616. much to the dismay of his mother. highlight some of the most inter- The boy’s naughty activities are esting with short descriptive On the Possibility of Love contrasted with the behavior of overviews. Using cel animation, some troublemakers in the street,

This month: Armastuse Voimalikkusest (On the Possibility of Love, 1999), 15.5 min., directed by Janno Poldma, Estonia. Info: EESTI Joonisfilm Studio, Laulupeo 2, Tallinn, 100121, Estonia. Tel/Fax: 372- 601-0275. E-mail: [email protected]. Just in Time (1999), 9 min., direct- ed by Kirsten Winter, Germany. Info: Anigraf, Kirsten Winter, Boedekerstr. 92, Hannover, 30161, Germany. Tel: 49-511-66- 0165. Fax: 49-511-66-7327. E- mail: [email protected]. Vision Point (1999), 1.5 min., directed by Stephen X. Arthur, Canada. Info: Stephen X. Arthur, On the Possibility of Love. © EESTI JoonisFilm.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200161 a small band of men who throw several theatrical plays. that has existed for many years. things at the family’s home and, Winter collaborated on Muratti when spied upon through a tele- und Sarotti, a film about German scope, are even caught sawing up animators of the 1920s, when the the surface of a distant planet. In visual music tradition was at a the end, the couple unite as the high point and Winter sites these man transforms into an officer on films as a strong influence on her a horse and the woman, who had own work. It’s easy to see how been watching — naked — in a German visual music artists such as tree, floats down to join him. Even Just In Time. © Kirsten Winter. Oskar Fischinger or Walther the naughty boy’s story seems to Ruttman have impacted her use of have a resolution, as he appears to Just in Time oil painting in Clocks, as bold be converted into a care-giver, tak- In 1995, when I saw Kirsten strokes accompany the equally ing over the place of his mother, Winter’s powerful experimental strong, pulsing score. However, in who had acted as a nurse to a line film, Clocks, I was impressed by Just in Time, I also feel the influ- of bird characters seeking atten- the manner in which she man- ence of future generations of visu- tion from her. I know it might be aged to capture the process of al music filmmakers, such as James hard to imagine, but it really does composer Elena Kats-Cherin at Whitney or a handful of other all seem to fit together in the end. work (and I do not mean process abstract filmmakers working dur- If pressed to come up with a pri- in the sense of a ‘procedure,’ but ing the 1950s and 1960s. I say this mary goal for this work, I’d go rather as the spiritual working because of the almost solarized with a political agenda; the film through of her material). Winter’s effects in portions of her film as seems to be saying that the trou- latest work, Just in Time, is moti- well as the mandala-like use of blemakers in the street are not vated out of the same aesthetic as bright, centered light that creates much more than naughty vandals Clocks, though the resulting film is the meditative quality I sense in who never got the spankings they very different. Whereas Clocks is the film. Whether this influence is deserved when they were boys. dynamic and energized, Just in actual or coincidental, there are I’m betting that the man and Time feels much more meditative. affinities between Just in Time and woman’s relationship is just a dis- However, the two films are defi- Whitney’s films, for example, in traction, one that is conventional nitely of a kind in that they are their exploration of the essence of in filmmaking. both impressionistic, striving to cre- things and our inner experience of Poldma has had a long his- ate the feeling of an experience them. The contemplative quality of tory of working in not only anima- rather than a narrative about it. Just in Time, like SMASH before it, tion, but theater and puppetry. He Just in Time is Winter’s observation is partly the result of Winter’s brush began working at Tallinnfilm of many aspects of America, with death in a bad car accident, Studio in 1973, as a camera assis- where she traveled by train for which almost killed her. tant and then as a cameraman. In four weeks. In the film, she ana- Winter has experimented this capacity he filmed some of the lyzes some icons of American cul- with different techniques as she earliest works of Estonian anima- ture, such as the Statue of Liberty, creates her works. She made tion, including Rein Raamat’s Toll and the country’s landscapes, both Clocks using photos and oil paint- the Great and Hell. Throughout natural and man-made. ing. High 8 video and oil painting the years, Poldma has worked in Winter’s filmmaking tech- applied directly to a computer both 2D and 3D traditional anima- nique has parallels to the process monitor were incorporated into tion techniques; his puppet films of music composition, as she con- her second film, SMASH, in 1997. include Brothers and Sisters siders her visuals and her music to In Just in Time (her third work), she (1991) and Otto’s Life (1992). be of equal importance. She thinks has begun using scratching on Additionally, he has written a chil- of her film visuals as notes, and film, along with filters applied in dren’s book, Judo Boys (1985); a uses a ‘visual score’ to create high the lab, in her assemblage of live- feature film screenplay, “The Lamb and low tension as well as rhythm. action footage, oil paint and com- Down in the Right Corner” (direct- In this respect, she can be seen as puter-generated imagery. Here ed by Lembit Ulfsak, 1992); and a practioner of visual music, an art sometimes digital video images

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200162 were treated in After Effects and long; the repeated images form a of surrealism as ‘true freedom from combined with painting while she rhythm in combination with the the intellect’ and for their total shot frame-by-frame off a comput- soundtrack, while changes in per- devotion to their art. I do not see er monitor, using a 35mm anima- spective and landscape types pro- Vision Point as particularly surreal tion camera. Like her previous two vide visual interest. in its aesthetic, though Arthur him- films, Just in Time is without dia- self describes it that way. However, logue, but in this case her com- I think he has achieved an enter- poser was Simon Stockhausen. taining and even slightly humor- Winter’s work is supported in part ous film that is enjoyable to watch by sponsorship by the German and might be studied for the way government, which has a system in which movement helps to sus- for funding independent film pro- tain visual interest. duction. She currently teaches Arthur also explains that his part-time at a College of Fine Arts inspiration came in part from Bart in Hanover, plus she is working on Vision Point. © Stephen X.Arthur. Testa’s 1989 book, Spirit in the a number of new short pieces. Landscape, which focuses on She works out of her studio, With a background in zool- Canadian avant-garde landscape anigraf filmproduction, which she ogy and physiology, as well as an films in terms of the Canadian co-founded with Gerd Gockell MFA in film production from the landscape-painting tradition. in 1990. University of Southern California, Vision Point was funded by a Arthur brings an interesting scien- grant from the Canada Council for Vision Point tific, analytical perspective to his the Arts. It has been screened at In Vision Point, director work in animation. Among his events worldwide. Stephen X. Arthur takes viewers on strongest influences, he cites another journey, this time across Norman McLaren, Paul Driessen, Passport the landscape of Canada, which Jan Svankmajer and Werner Passport is yet another he traversed with his wife, Joyce Herzog, and he most admires the accomplished student film from Arthur. While she was driving Bros. Quay for their employment the Royal College of Art, which through the Western portion of the country on the Trans Canada Highway, Arthur captured time- lapse images with a Pentax 35mm still camera, zooming in with a 200 mm lens. These images were later manipulated with Adobe After Effects, which also was used to create a heartbeat-like sound track for the film. Flight of the Stone (directed by Susanne Fränzel), a similar work that I recently reviewed, uses the ‘narra- tive device’ of a stone flying through the air to tie its 15 min- utes of international landscapes together. In contrast, Arthur’s images are united only thematical- ly, as his goal was to abstract fun- damental differences among regions of Canada. This strategy works in part because Vision Point is only one and a half minutes Passport. © Royal College of Art.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200163 seems to be doing more than a lit- Soren Sigumfeldt Eriksen. hand at establishing the aesthetics tle right, judging by the number Passport’s production was sup- of the film, as the scarecrow finally of excellent productions that have ported by the Royal College of Art is able to hobble off, having emerged from it in recent years. as well as Danish student grants. employed the posts that originally This post-graduate thesis film The film has been well received in held him captive as legs that now employs cutouts on multiplane competition, having won best stu- set him free. scraper boards, black and white dent work awards at both the The Scarecrow has been imagery, dimmed lighting with Ottawa and Stuttgart festivals in screened at SIGGRAPH and a vari- chiarascuro-type effects, and 1999. ety of other showcases, and will sound elements to set the scene be featured in an upcoming for a family’s ill-fated trip on a The Scarecrow episode of Exposure on the Sci-Fi night train. American Cheryl Meier has Channel. Meier is currently work- The film’s director, Siri created a very different student ing on a feature film, Helgo, A Melchior, studied art history and work with her 1.5 minute film, The Hero’s Journey, at Fathom graphic design in Denmark before Scarecrow. This senior thesis for Studios, which is located in going to the U.K.’s Royal College the Ringling School of Art and Atlanta, Georgia. of Art and acknowledges the influ- Design was created using Maya ence of Russian animation upon 2.0. It tells the story of a scarecrow Maureen Furniss, Ph.D. is the work. This influence is clear in who decides to break out of his Assistant Professor and Program the overall look of the piece, place in life and does so with the Director of Film Studies at which brings to mind the visual help of some crows. Meier says Chapman University in Orange, design and even the animation she was inspired to create the film California. She is the founding style of Yuri Norstein. The story when she drove past two real editor of Animation Journal and itself, which runs almost 7-minutes scarecrows standing guard in a the author of Art in Motion: in length, also seems to be set sunflower farm. To get the sense Animation Aesthetics (John within an Eastern European con- of what a real scarecrow might Libbey, 1998). text. A family escapes a crowded, feel as it tugged at the wooden highly secured train station, board- boards that hold it up, she rigged ing a train car after showing doc- herself to hang from a post! Note: Readers may contact any uments that officials accept cau- Though Meier cites Disney Animation World Magazine tiously, after scrutiny. As the family and Pixar as influences in terms of contributor by sending an e-mail sleeps, though, a thief takes the story and visual design, her work to [email protected]. passports from their room. Officials is actually a lot softer and atmos- arrive and force them off the train, pheric than most of the computer so they apparently lose their animation work I associate with chance for freedom. those companies. She employs Like the other films soft colors and a kind of hazy fog reviewed this month, Passport is that hangs just above the ground without dialogue. The film’s score and gives depth to the scene. On was created by Danish composer the other hand, Meier’s ability to instill a lot of character into the scarecrow within a short time would seem to reflect her study of personality animation created by the two studios. Through move- ment and the setting of small goals that the character sets out to achieve, viewers are able to identi- fy with this character’s struggle for freedom, which occurs in less than The Scarecrow. © Cheryl Meier. two minutes. Sound effects lend a

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200164 CatchCatch thethe DVDDVD ofof CChhiicckkeenn RRuunnf by Jacquie Kubin hen the characters animators and they get to be cre- of Wallace & ative in a whole new way.” In WGromit were intro- addition, the DVD can be popped duced in 1992 (A Grand Day into a computer for two interac- Out), creator/director Nick Park tive games, desktop icons, chicken added a new chapter to stop- pets and screensavers. action animation history. Winning Academy Awards for Jacquie Kubin, a Washington, Best Short Animated Film [The DC-based freelance journalist, Wrong Trousers (1994) and A enjoys writing about the electron- Close Shave (1996)], it is a ques- ic entertainment and edutain- tion of which came first, the chick- ment mediums, including the en or the egg, when Park was tar- Internet. She is a frequent con- geted, along with Peter Lord, to tributor to the Washington bring Chicken Run to stop-motion Times and Krause Publication animated life. “I think that Jeffrey magazines. She has won the Katzenberg, in his earlier Disney 1998 Certificate of Award grant- years, had seen and was With additional materials including a ed by the Metropolitan Area Mass impressed by Nick and Peter’s work behind the scenes look at stop-motion Media Committee of the and the style of animation,” says animation, the Chicken Run DVD is now American Association of University available. © DreamWorks Pictures. Kelly Sooter, head of domestic Women. home video for DreamWorks material,” Sooter says. “It is an Pictures. “Over the years he has opportunity to extend the movie Note: Readers may contact any been looking for a project that beyond the theatrical release, and Animation World Magazine would work within this animation allows the animator to take the contributor by sending an e-mail style.” In addition to a fun bit of property to the next level. The to [email protected]. filmmaking, the Chicken Run level of enthusiasm is exciting Special Edition DVD includes because we get to work with the bonus footage featuring Lord and Park’s commentary, two behind- the-scenes featurettes, trailers, bios and production notes. The addi- tional material gives a great look at the behind the scenes process of stop-motion animation. “The direc- tors see the value of the bonus material and we got a tremendous amount of support from them in Chicken Run, directed by Peter Lord and the development of this extra Nick Park. © DreamWorks Pictures.

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AWNHeadquarters,5700WilshireBlvd.,Suite600,LosAngeles,CA90036,USAtel++(1)3236343400-fax++(1)3236343350 -URLwww.awn.com sonic weapon which needs the New from Japan: vibrations of Oji’s unique electronic hard-rock playing. Learning that Anime Film Reviews his music is still appreciated brings Oji back to life. by Fred Patten round 1995, Japanese about to be fired. In the early animation (anime) began 1980’s he was “Gabriel” Tanaka, Apouring into North the lead guitarist in Black Heaven, America, Europe and across the a hot Japanese band that imitated globe in video form. Most of these the latest sounds from such new titles were unknown outside of rock gods as Michael Schenker. But Japan and never covered by ani- he got married, and traded his mation journals. Whether a title is dream for a steady paycheck in highly popular or very obscure, a order to raise a family. Today his high-quality theatrical feature or a family ignores him except as a cheap and unimaginative direct- breadwinner. His wife throws out to-video release, they all look the his prized guitar to make room for same on a store shelf. Therefore, their child’s toys. Animation World Magazine will regularly review several new releases (including re-releases not previously covered) that have The mysterious woman who calls some merit and about which our Oji back to the magic of performing. © 1997 AIC • Pioneer LDC, Inc. readers should know. Black Heaven is a funky The Legend of Black Heaven. comedy packed with references to V.1, Rock Bottom. V.2, Space the rock and anime scenes of the Truckin’. early ‘80s. Layla’s repeated weak TV series, 1999. Director: excuses to drag Oji off to the hid- Yasuhito Kikuchi. V.1, 4 episodes, den portal are interpreted by his 100 minutes. V.2 - V.4, 3 episodes office workers and neighbors as each, 75 minutes each. Price & for- an illicit affair, especially since she mat: $24.98 each subtitled or uses sultry phrases like “the stair- dubbed video; $29.98 bilingual way to heaven” which sound like DVD. Distributor: Pioneer. (V.3 & 4 risqué double entendres. (Oji rec- to come.) ognizes “Stairway to Heaven” as This 1999 Japanese prime Life starts to crush, middle-aged the title of a Led Zeppelin classic. time TV comedy is notable for two Oji’s dreams, until he finds out that All the episode titles like “Rock special aspects: its idealization of only his special sound can save the Bottom” are named after notable universe in Black Heaven. 1970s/’80s heavy metal music © 1997 AIC • Pioneer LDC, Inc. heavy metal hits.) Japanese view- (and the work of popular guitarist ers, and American fans of the Michael Schenker in particular), Just as Oji’s disillusion is 1980s’ Robotech TV cartoons from and a plot designed primarily for about to become terminal, a new Japan, will recognize the improba- an audience a generation older employee, Layla Yuki, claims to be ble concept of defeating space than the usual children and teens. a fan of his music. She lures him invaders with rock music as a pas- Oji Tanaka appears to be a through a dimensional portal to tiche of the 1982 anime TV hit in typical white-collar salaryman in an alternate world where Earth is which space invaders were trau- the Japanese business world. He is losing a space war. The only hope matized by the melodies of an actually so apathetic that he is of defeating the invaders is a new interplanetary pop singer. The

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200167 alternate-world space war subplot Michael Schenker Group’s “In the Samurai X is the title of the video parodies the Japanese live-action Arena;” and original TV rock songs dubbed edition, while Rurouni kids’ TV genre that has been to match by Hironobu Kageyama Kenshin is the title of the subtitled Americanized as Mighty Morphin’ and Riyu Konaka) to please serious video and the DVD edition. Plus, Power Rangers. The main action rock fans. there is a separate Rurouni centers around Oji’s attempt to res- The animation quality — Kenshin TV series which is getting urrect his dream, to get his band okay, so it was a low-budget TV a simultaneous U.S. video release back together and prove that production (13 weekly episodes, from another company, Media Black Heaven still swings, while July 8 - October 7, 1999). Nobody Blasters.] avoiding the appearance of a sex disses the Jay Ward TV cartoons Japanese animation first scandal that could ruin his mar- for their cheap production values, gained a cult following in America riage and his career. His efforts not do they? The two animation stu- for its giant robot battlefests and incidentally revitalize his relation- dios, A.I.C. (Anime International space adventure epics. But there ship with wife Yoshiko and make Company) and A.P.P.P. Co. are many viewers who prefer the him a hero to his young son Gen. (Another Push Pin Production), historical dramas, which offer a (“My Dad is helping the UFO both do much better with larger- genuine historical background in a Rangers fight the Dark Nebula budget productions. setting so exotic and so unknown Demonic Army!? COOL!!!”) Some to non-Japanese that it might as of the Japanese cultural jokes will well be on a planet far, far away. be over the heads of American This story takes place during the viewers (the Black Heaven title is traumatic collapse of the 250-year for the American market; the Shogunate period (1601-1868), Japanese title is Kacho Oji, Oji the which occurred between the visit Assistant Section Head, but the of Commodore Perry’s fleet in popular Japanese name Oji means 1853 to open Japan forcibly to “prince” and he is gradually world trade, and 1868 when the revealed as a “disguised prince emperor was restored. among commoners”), but there is Rurouni Kenshin began as enough humor that comes an immensely popular comic book through to amuse Yankees satis- (manga) historical serial by factorily. Nobuhiro Watsuki from 1994 to Black Heaven’s most obvi- 1999. It was quickly adapted as a ous theme is consciously exagger- 94-episode animated TV series, ated wish-fulfillment fantasy for an running from January 10, 1996 audience ready for a mid-life crisis, through September 8, 1998 (cur- that would like to return to their rently being released separately in youthful music and TV favorites America under Media Blasters’ and dream of a second chance at Set in 19th century Japan, Samurai X tells AnimeWorks video label); there the story of a land torn by warfare and their whole future. Hard rock and rebellion where small bands of soldiers was also an anime theatrical fea- 1980s anime is also still ‘in’ with seek to overthrow the tyrannical ture in December 1997. Set in the current teen generation, and Tokugawa Shogunate. © A.D.Vision, Inc. 1879, it tells the adventures of a will demonstrate to them that Dad Samurai X: Rurouni Kenshin. group of teens who gather may not be so square, after all (A V.1,Trust.V.2, Betrayal. around Kenshin, a rurouni (ronin; Goofy Movie, anybody?). And Original animation video vagabond samurai) in his late there is enough real hard rock (OAV) series, 1999. Director: twenties on a self-imposed pilgrim- music (the theme song, Kazuhiro Furuhashi. 60 minutes age of redemption. When he was “Cautionary Warning,” by John each. Price & format: video $29.95 just a young teen, Kenshin was Sykes, a rock guitarist whose subtitled/$19.98 dubbed each; the deadliest assassin of the group has toured Japan several DVD bilingual $29.98 each. reformers who fought the times, in the original arrangement Distributor: A. D. Vision Films. Shogunate. Disillusioned by all the plus two new arrangements; [This gets confusing: killing on both sides in the name

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200168 Royal Space Force:The Wings of Honneamise. Theatrical feature, 1987. Director: Hiroyuki Yamaga. 125 min- utes. Price & format: $29.95 DVD. Distributor: Manga Entertainment. Royal Space Force was a milestone in Japanese animation history. A small group of young animators persuaded entertain- ment giant Bandai to fund their Samurai X’s central character, Kenshin, a young orphan trained to be a deadly new studio’s first theatrical feature; assasin, with the mysterious woman an intellectual sci-fi drama with no named Tomoe. © A.D.Vision, Inc. merchandising tie-ins. The movie of noble ideals, he hopes to atone bombed financially but won criti- for his violent past. cal raves that established Studio Samurai X (the title refers to Gainax’s reputation. Also, the Founded in 1984, Studio Gainax the cross-shaped scar on Kenshin’s movie’s video release helped was newly opened just to produce Royal cheek) is a two-hour, four episode demonstrate the potential of Space Force:The Wings of Honneamise. direct-to video series released as Japan’s new anime video market. © Bandai Entertainment. Rurouni Kenshin: Reminiscence in The movie typifies much of artifacts. Even the symphonic 1999. It is Kenshin’s origin story, anime in emphasizing art — richly- score by Ryuichi Sakamoto has an showing his violent past which detailed backgrounds and cos- unusually sharp metallic under- was hinted at in the TV series. tumes — and story rather than full tone that enhances the exoticism. Kenshin bursts into the shadow animation. Royal Space Force in Shirotsugh Lhadatt is a civil war as an idealistic 14-year-old particular has stunned audiences young sailor assigned to the whose lithe dexterity is taken with its elaborate setting of an Kingdom of Honneamise’s tiny dis- advantage of by the reformers to alternate Earth. Rather than mere- aster-prone space program just as use him as a murderer of their ly showing normal society with fic- war looms. The commander is political opponents. The first half tional nations or historical figures, determined to orbit an astronaut hour episode establishes this; the RSF depicts a completely original before the Space Force is following three switch to somber civilization with unique yet plausi- absorbed into the military effort. despair as Kenshin realizes that he ble designs of everything from reli- Shiro’s enthusiasm at being chosen is no better than the “enemies of gions to clothes and household as the astronaut is tempered by the people” he is ordered to slay. Kenshin’s failed attempt to escape into a peaceful life as a farmer, and his resolution to die in battle against the Shogun’s agents, move forward with a growing inevitabil- ity which portends an unalterable fate. (Yet, since this is a prequel to the TV series, viewers are sup- posed to know that Kenshin will, somehow, survive.) Director Furuhashi builds an emotional impact with calm, poetic imagery such as slowly dripping blood upon snow which skillfully gets the most out of limited animation. (Production by Studio Deen.) Shirotsugh Lhadatt finds himself amidst the scenery of war. © Bandai Entertainment.

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200169 the realization of all the safety test- need to make much sense. Sol characters have different origins ing they are bypassing. An equal Bianca: The Legacy certainly plays and relationships. What is impor- worry is that the launch site is right to this philosophy. Yet its empty- tant is that there is no longer any on the border, and is sure to be headedness is unusually intellectu- pretense that the story is important. captured or destroyed if fighting al. Viewers will recognize the starts before the rocket is complet- Alhambra in a palace on a distant ed. Royal Space Force strikes a del- planet, or that soaring holographic icate balance of realistic, serious statues are based upon Alphonse technological research; the drama Mucha’s Art Nouveau posters. A of political tension, espionage and giant maze is boastfully acknowl- warfare; and the inspirational edged to be a mechanical recre- uplift of a young everyman’s con- ation (with deadly traps) of the lev- sideration of the space program’s els of Dante’s Divine Comedy. And moral and social considerations where else would you find attack- (Shiro’s girlfriend worries that the ing space pirates dressed as rocket could be used as a new though they were attending an weapon) and conviction of its pos- opera? itive benefits. This is a sequel of sorts to Sol Bianca, a 1990 OAV space Sol Bianca:The Legacy.V.1, Lost opera from A.I.C. (Anime Treasures. V.2, Separation. V.3, International Co.) about a band of Going Home. sexy all-girl space pirates who steal Original animation video only from despicable planetary dic- Sol Bianca:The Legacy continues the tale of an all-female pirate crew on a (OAV) series, 2000. Director: tators. It was a mindless Star Wars ship with unmatched technology. Hiroyuki Ochi. 60 minutes each. imitation, but had very nice art © 1999 AIC / Pioneer LDC, Pioneer Price each & format: $29.98 subti- design by Naoyuki Onda. Ten Entertainment (USA) L.P. tled video, $24.98 dubbed video, years later, A.I.C. has upped the Instead, this is an artistic $29.98 DVD bilingual. Distributor: ante with this second Sol Bianca, a tour de force for Director Hiroyuki Pioneer. serial consisting of six half-hour Ochi and his staff of character and There is a school of episodes, two per volume. It nom- mechanical designers, notably thought that animated cartoons inally presents the same crew in a Naoyuki Onda again, Atsushi should look pretty but do not new adventure, except that the Takeuchi, Koji Watanabe, Kenji Teraoka and Nobuhito Sue, with extensive 3D CGI work by Satoshi Shimura. The emphasis is on beau- ty. All men are handsome, all women are lovely, and every scene looks like it is posed (i.e., not much actual animation) for a fash- ion magazine. The space adven- ture still has gaping holes in its logic, compounded by a plot that jumps forward in medias res and leaves the viewer to puzzle togeth- er the 25th(?) century interstellar background from cryptic refer- ences to “the decline since the Space Frontier Age,” “the search for lost Earth” and so forth. But Sol Bianca’s cast of characters. © 1999 AIC / Pioneer LDC, there are now all the nudge Pioneer Entertainment (USA) L.P. nudge wink wink background cul-

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200170 tural references to Inca ruins, have points of interest. Virgin Fleet ready to fight but she lacks enough Spanish architecture, the literature is an example of what may be Virgin Energy. Shiokaze has the of Thomas Mann, etc., to indicate building up to a new sub-genre of energy, but she freezes in panic at that any lapses in the plot are not teen military comedies about the prospect of real danger. because of a lack of sophistication. untested all-female combat units Rather, the viewer is meant to who must prove they can fight as appreciate the visual aspects well as the men. What makes (Ochi’s skillful direction distracts the Virgin Fleet (originally a three half- viewer from the limited anima- hour OAV series) particularly inter- tion), and the personality interplay esting is its alternate-history premise. between space pirates April, The setting is an Earth Janny, Feb, Jun and young stow- where atomic power has not been away Mayo. These are the real discovered, but Japanese research focus of the adventure. into paranormal mental powers As added evidence of the has awakened psionic energy in emphasis on the art direction, the some humans — but only opening credits and each preview women, and only as long as they Trained in the use of “Virgin Energy,” the of the next volume are edited to are virgins. Fifteen years earlier, in cadets amass serious blasting power make an excellent music video. a conflict similar to World War II, a capable of blowing enemy war planes out of the sky. © 1998 RED / Ohji Hiroi / AIC / The DVDs also contain “Anime- ship of young women with this tal- IMAGAWA / BEAM ENTERTAINMENT. tronic” music clips which are bonus ent sunk a “federation” invasion music videos of 8 to 10 minutes. fleet. This resulted in a cease-fire I was intrigued by Virgin that has lasted to the present. A Fleet’s background portrayal of a naval girl’s academy has been Japan that has rebuilt itself without opened to train new girls with psy- the dominating cultural influence chic energy to crew a Virgin Fleet. of a Western occupation. There is This is the background for a technical modernization in appli- mostly silly teen farce. Japan has ances and the news media, but been at peace for so long that the architecture and clothing styles are academy has turned into a finish- closer to those of 1940s Japan. ing school where giggly teens play The score by Masumi Ito is modern at being sailors and navy aviators. movie-music when punching up New student Shiokaze Umino has the action scenes, but in the style enrolled to demonstrate she is still of traditional Japanese music in a virgin, to make a respectable the street scenes. Even the open- bride for handsome Mau Sakisaka. ing and closing theme songs by Cadet leader Satsuki Yukimizawa, Chisa Tanabe are pseudo-1940s or who is overly gung-ho about the 1950s Japanese pop music, before fleet’s military mission, is deter- it became as heavily Westernized The OAV series, Virgin Fleet, is the story of young female cadets and their role mined to force Shiokaze out. The as in our world today. (Production in the Japanese military. © 1998 RED / schoolgirl catfights (with Mau as a by A.I.C.) Ohji Hiroi / AIC / IMAGAWA / BEAM comically inept mediator) play ENTERTAINMENT. into the hands of naval Chief Fred Patten has written on anime Virgin Fleet. Tatsugawa, a reactionary who has for fan and professional maga- Original animation video been trying to persuade the gov- zines since the late 1970s. (OAV) series, 1998. Director: Masahiro ernment to abandon the Virgin Hosoda. 90-minutes. Price & format: Fleet and rebuild the Imperial Navy. Note: Readers may contact any $19.99 dubbed video; $29.99 bilin- The plot turns dramatic when Animation World Magazine gual DVD. Distributor: U.S. Manga enemy spies try to sabotage the contributor by sending an e-mail Corps./Central Park Media. Virgin Fleet in preparation for a to [email protected]. Even minor anime titles can reactivation of the war. Satsuki is

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200171 Animation World News Compiled and written by Rick DeMott Technology news compiled and written by Paul Younghusband. Get your headline news first every day on-line at http://www.awn.com/headlines Plus, have industry news delivered to your e-mail every week in the Animation Flash,AWN’s weekly industry newsletter. Subscribe today at www.awn.com/flash/ Awards Commercials l EuropaCinema & TV 2000 Dances Forth Toon Winners l hey! Adds Up Global Image Ad For Nickelodeon 4 http://www2.awn.com/mag/news.php3?item=Awards l Will Vinton Studios Plays With Midway Games Spots l Eyeball Wakes Investors With NTL Ad Books l ViewPoint Studios Gives ZDTV New IDs l Filmtecknarna Brings Rave Posters To Life In Anti-Drug Ad l Acting For Animators Book Arrives In Stores l R!OT Races With Michael Johnson & Samsung 4 http://www2.awn.com/mag/news.php3?item=Books l hey! IDs Relaunch Of TNN l Computer Café Serves Up Photo-Realistic Demo For EA Business l TOPIX/Mad Dog Dance With The Relaunch Of Eatons’ l Animation Stock Ticker For Tuesday, December 12, 2000 l Department Stores l EM.TV Investors Take Company To Court l Rhinoceros Wins NY Lottery l Turkish Network Shut Down After Airing Pokemon l ATTIK Races With PlayStation & Infogrames’ MotoRacer l Wild Brain Taps AniManagement To Rep l Filmtecknarna Heats Up New UK McDonald´s Spot l DreamWorks & Lucasfilm Make Forbes’ 500 4http://www2.awn.com/mag/news.php3?item=Commercials l Microsoft To Acquire Gaming Company Digital Anvil l Fox Loses Interest in Icebox’s Zombie College Events l Animation Stock Ticker For Tuesday, December 5, 2000 l l Film Roman Fights To Remain Listed on Nasdaq Broadcast Graphics & Virtual Studios Conference l l Oxygen Breathes In $100M In New Funding Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival Brings Shorts To A l l Creative Planet Nails Funding & Knowledge World Audience l l EM.TV Releases Large Profit Warnings NATPE 2001 Is The Foremost Expo For Media Content l l EM.TV Stock Hits New Low, Buy-Out Rumors Abound Creators! l l Icebox Halves Staff, Gets Sued & Sells Toon To Fox Sell Your Shorts At The Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market l l Turkish Official Urges For Pokemon Ban A Conference Dedicated To Looking At Enhanced TV l l Animation Stock Ticker For Tuesday, November 28, 2000 Flickerfest Travels Down Under To Highlight Films All Over l l Microsoft Appeal Filing Calls Judge Biased The Country! l l Animation Stock Ticker For Tuesday, November 21, 2000 Moondance Fest Honors The Best In Female Filmmaking l l Nick Urges UK Officials To Block BBC’s Kid Networks From Around The Globe! l See How The Industry Is Changing At Interactive TV 4 http://www2.awn.com/mag/news.php3?item=Business l Advertising USA l “Art & Animation” Conference Stresses On The Art In Animation Call for Entries l Inner-City Arts’ Annual Gala Fundraising Dinner l GAIT Brings The Worlds Of Indie TV & Net Production l Zagreb School Of Animation Toons Screening In Hollywood! l Under One Roof 4http://www2.awn.com/mag/news.php3?item=Events l Make History Enter Your Toons In The Inaugural l Durango Film Festival l Win Five Acres Of Land At The Taos Talking Picture Festival 4 http://www2.awn.com/mag/news.php3?item=Call%for%Entries

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200172 Films Technology l Charlie’s Angels Still Kickin’, Grinch & Dino Close On Heels l NetImmerse To Support Nintendo Gamecube l At IBO l REALVIZ Releases MatchMover 2.0 l Roars Of Controversy Over Dinosaur In Italy l Alias|Wavefront Releases 3D Paint FX Plug-in For Free l Grinch Snowballs Newcomer Vertical Limit l Pulse Announces Maya Exporter l Charlie’s Angels Seduces Worldwide Box Office l Black Belt Ships WinImages R6 l Neo-Hardy Boys Feature Gains Scribe l SensAble Technologies Announce Freeform 3 l Grinch Grabs Top Spot For Third Week l Macromedia Dreamweaver 4 Fireworks 4 Studio Now l Disney’s Animated Bullets Feature Gains Voices l Available l Charlie’s Angels Charms International Box Offices l pmG Announces project:messiah For Itanium l How The Grinch Stole Thanksgiving’s Box Office l Discreet Launch Max 4 And Animation Zone l Pet Boy Next For Nick Features l Cambridge Animation Systems Get Flash l Columbia To Start Men In Black 2 Production In June 4http://www2.awn.com/mag/news.php3?item=Technology l Bruckheimer and Scott To Swing Pirate Pic l DreamWorks’ Gladiator Coming To Imax Television l Scary, What Lies Beneath, Charlie’s Angels At Int. BO 4http://www2.awn.com/mag/news.php3?item=Films l U.S. Primetime TV Ratings For The Week Of December 4- l 10, 2000 Internet and Interactive l Comedy Central Animates TV Funhouse l This Week’s Web Animation Guide For Monday, December l Dune Mini-Series Marks Sci-Fi History l 11, 2000 l U.S. Primetime TV Ratings For The Week Of Nov 27 – Dec l iFilm Trims Staff By 15 l 3, 2000 l This Week’s Web Animation Guide For Friday, December l Tangerine Bear Comes To Primetime l 1, 2000 l Toonz & Rainbow Team On New TV Toon l Macromedia Launches Flash Developer Community Site l U.S. Primetime TV Ratings For The Week Of November l TheThreshold.Com Possesses Hellraiser Gaming Rights l 20-26, 2000 l This Week’s Web Animation Guide For Monday, November l Nick Explores More Dora Episodes l 27, 2000 l Joe Barbera Creates New Tom & Jerry Toon For Cartoon l CountingDown.com To Debut Spielberg, Howard Toons l Network l Dotcomix In Negotiations With Buyer l ABC Retools Disney’s One Saturday Morning Block 4http://www2.awn.com/magt/news.php3?item=Internet%and%Interactive l U.S. Primetime TV Ratings For The Week Of November l 13-19, 2000 In Passing l Xena On Oxygen l Live-Action King Of The Hill Spinoff In The Works l Flintstones/Jetsons’ Composer Curtin Passes 4http://www2.awn.com/mag/news.php3?item=Television l Popeye/Flintstones Animator Passes l Soviet Animator Kotenochkin Dies 4http://www2.awn.com/mag/news.php3?item=In%Passing Video l City Hunter: Secret Service’s Next Mission: VHS People l Erotic Anime Series Nightmare Campus Descends On DVD l ADV Films Heats Up With New Sakura Diaries Release l Turner Dons New Interactive Head l Newest Martian Successor Nadesico Comes To Video l Rhinoceros Adds New CG Director/Project Leader l Collect Monster Ranchers On Video l FX Wiz Glen Bennett Joins Click 3X l 3D TV Series Weird-Ohs Comes To Home Video l RealNetworks Adds Wolpert As Strategic Advisor l Anime Classic Honneamise Rockets Onto DVD l Maliani Makes DIC More Creative l Manga Brings Macross II To DVD l Dir. Dave Foss Joins Class-Key Chew-Po Commericals l Right Stuf For Three Captain Tylor Releases l Sony Continues Finance Revamp With 3 New Hires l Leda Lands On Video l Zelnick Pegged To Icebox l Gasaraki Volume II Combats Home Video l Disney’s Buena Vista Ups Three Execs l Chuck Jones Doc Arrives On Video l Film Roman Taps New Chief Technology Officer l All 3 Wallace & Gromit Films On One VHS Volume! l Saban Promotes Three Key Execs l Chicken Run Flies Into Stores l WB Production VP Leaves Post l First Eight Episodes of Sailor Moon Make It To Video l PDI/DreamWorks Names Teresa Cheng Head of Production 4http://www2.awn.com/mag/news.php3?item=Video 4http://www2.awn.com/mag/news.php3?item=People

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200173 Next Issue’s Highlights Gaming, February 2001

his month we take a look at one area of animation that has been showing enormous and steady growth. With game development on the rise and the emergence of new Tplatforms, the gaming industry is rich with possibilities – not only economic but also artistic. Jacquie Kubin tells us why gaming is bigger than ever and how animators can bank on it in the future. Paul Younghusband discovers why Artworld UK is one of the leading, inno- vative gaming companies using digital images across several mediums for both continuity and profits. Plus, we are also going to look at the future of gaming: What are games going to look like in the distant future? You may not even recognize them. We also have a very special interview with Charlie Adler, conducted by the always entertaining Will Ryan. As the Rugrats take on the big screen again, Charlie will discuss them, his career and more. Sit down with one of the hardest working actors and directors in Hollywood today. Maria Janeva is going to take an in-depth look at Bulgarian animation, high- lighting their history. In the Student Corner, Glenn Vilppu returns to discuss texture as planes to expand your sketching skills further. Gregory Singer will profile eKids, the latest player to tackle the sensitive Internet kids’ market. Fred Patten returns with his new anime picks, as well as Maureen Furniss with her short film reviews. And don’t forget to find out what the Animation Pimp has to rant about this month. Also, get ready to take a look at a new Mac-based pencil test system and hear what AWN associate editor Rick DeMott has to say about the latest book on animation scriptwriting. Upcoming Editorial Calendar

Gaming February 2001 Technology March 2001 The Business of Animation April 2001 Recruiting and Jobs May 2001

ANIMATIONWORLDMAGAZINE January200174