Chicken Run and Dinosaur Nominated in British Awards
The nominations are in for the 53rd British Academy Film Awards and two animated films have made the final cut. Chicken Run has been nominated for two British Academy Film Awards, including Outstanding British Film of the Year and Audience Award of the Year. Dinosaur was also nominated for Audience Award of the Year. The British Academy Film Awards is the UK version of the Academy Awards. The announcement of the winners will take place on February 25, 2001.

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Cinar Sues Co-founders for $28.6 Million
Yesterday, Animation Artist Magazine published an article about Cinar's auditors resigning and a statement from the co-founders on a lawsuit filed against them.

According to the CBC, "Cinar Corp., the film animation company best known for its Arthur and Richard Scarry children's cartoons, is suing its co-founders, Ronald Weinberg and Micheline Charest, for $28.6 million.

Cinar, which nearly collapsed after allegations of fraud and other financial irregularities last year, announced Tuesday it has filed a complaint in Quebec Superior Court against Weinberg and Charest, the husband and wife team who started the company..."

Click here for the full story.

Other CINAR Stories:
CINAR's Auditors Resign (scroll down to second story after clicking)
CINAR Avoids Fraud Charges (scroll down to second story after clicking)
CINAR Signs Deal to Recover Money (scroll down to fourth story after clicking)
CINAR Fires It's Founders! (scroll down to second story after clicking)
Fired CINAR Founders Fight Back
CINAR Trading Suspended (scroll down to second story after clicking)
CINAR May Be Target of Acquisition Attempt
CINAR Discusses Investigation

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Friday, February 2, 2001

Cinar to Release Unaudited Information
The Cinar saga continues. According to the CBC:

"Cinar Corp. will release unaudited financial information Friday dating back four years that should provide a clearer picture of the company's books after more than a year of turmoil.

The film-and-animation company also plans to release a detailed company profile to potential investors within days, a Cinar executive said Thursday. Cinar plans to make public unaudited, restated financial statements from 1997 to the first six months of 2000, said Louise Sansregret, vice-president of investor relations and public affairs..."

Click here to read the full story.

In another Cinar story published in the CBC, RCMP is recommending charges against Cinar executives. According to the story:

"A lengthy RCMP investigation into alleged tax fraud at the beleaguered film animation company Cinar Corp. has resulted in a report recommending five people be charged with criminal offences, the National Post reported Thursday..."

Click here to read the full story.

Other CINAR Stories (starting with most recent):
CINAR Sues Co-Founders for $28.6 Million (second story)
CINAR's Auditors Resign (scroll down to second story after clicking)
CINAR Avoids Fraud Charges (scroll down to second story after clicking)
CINAR Signs Deal to Recover Money (scroll down to fourth story after clicking)
CINAR Fires It's Founders! (scroll down to second story after clicking)
Fired CINAR Founders Fight Back
CINAR Trading Suspended (scroll down to second story after clicking)
CINAR May Be Target of Acquisition Attempt
CINAR Discusses Investigation

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Noggin Creates Black History Animated Short Stories
Tell a kid, he or she is about to learn history and be prepared to watch those bright, curious eyes suddenly go blank. History can sometimes be a very daunting subject. In an effort to make history more accessible to kids and to celebrate Black History Month, Noggin, the educational network from Nickelodeon and Sesame Workshop, will premiere

"Noggin Celebrates Black History: If I Were There," a series of four, animated short stories, created by kids in collaboration with Noggin. Each short story, told from the kids' point of view, will run interstitially on Noggin and Nickelodeon throughout the month of February.

Each week, Noggin invites curious minds to identify with the figures and events from black history with a new animated story created by one of four kids from the New York City area. Each kid has created a first-person, fictional narrative about a moment in black history that has "sparked" them. Noggin producers and animators have turned these stories into interactive animations asking Noggin's audience to put themselves back in history and imagine what it would have been like if they were there too.

"These animated shorts demonstrate Noggin's kid-driven learning educational philosophy by using kids' creativity to bring history to life," said Tom Ascheim, General Manager, Noggin. The first story, "Little Rock," created by 11-year-old Morton, is about The Little Rock Nine in Arkansas -- the first group of black kids to integrate in the all-white Central High School in 1957. Morton tells her story as she imagines what it would have been like to be the 'tenth' member of The Little Rock Nine.

The second story, "Harlem Renaissance," created by 11-year-old Destin, is told from the point of view of a Brownstone building in Harlem during the 1920's. It celebrates Harlem's explosion of art, music and culture and features Langston Hughes, Meta Warrick Fuller and Louis Armstrong.

The third story, "Underground Railroad," was created by 11-year-old Camila, and is told as if she were a young slave who is waiting with her little sister at the edge of a southern plantation to leave on the Underground Railroad with Harriet Tubman.

The fourth story, "Negro Leagues," was created by 11-year-old Omari, who tried to imagine what it would have been like to be a catcher for the great Satchel Paige in the Negro Leagues. His story climaxes during the Negro League World Series in 1942 with the showdown between two baseball greats, Joltin' Josh Gibson and Leroy 'Satchel' Paige.

Noggin, the first ever-thinking network for kids, now reaches over 15 million households via cable, digital cable and satellite. Exploding the boundaries between television and online, Noggin is a unique interactive network aimed at kids 2-12 from educational children's TV pioneers Nickelodeon and Sesame Workshop. Its breakthrough mission is to serve kids' natural desire to learn by creating a place-on television and online-where learning is driven by them. Using "What Sparks You?" as a slogan, Noggin celebrates kids' natural excitement for learning by asking kids themselves to help shape the network's agenda and steer its content.

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Saturday, February 3, 2001

"Bob the Builder" Stop Motion Production Enhances Nick Jr.
According to the Kansas City Star:

"Those little sponges commonly known as preschoolers will add words such as 'pneumatic drill' and 'reflective barrier' to their vocabularies, all thanks to a darling show added this month to the Nick Jr. lineup...

Filmed in stop-frame animation (think of Christmas classics such as 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' or any Claymation production), 'Bob the Builder' was born in England several years ago and now is the No. 1 preschooler program in several countries, including Japan and Australia..."

Click here for the full story.

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Sunday, February 4, 2001

Award-Winning Henry Artist Lisa Tomei Joins R!OT
Clio and Emmy award-winning Henry artist Lisa Tomei has joined R!OT, the creative digital production studio. Tomei, who had been working as a freelancer, has wide experience in visual effects production and 2D compositing, as well as significant graphic design skills. Her credits span a broad range of media, including commercials, broadcast promos, show opens, episodic television and music videos. Her appointment is effective immediately.

"We are thrilled to have Lisa join our team," said R!OT managing director Richard Cormier in announcing the appointment. "Her design skills combined with her knowledge of visual effects make her a unique artist." In discussing her move, Tomei said that R!OT's wealth of resources provide the support that she needs to continue working on the highest quality work.

"Creatively and practically, it is a strong asset for my clients and I to have immediate access to animation, telecine, editorial and production services," she said. "In addition, many of the best artists and producers with whom I've worked in the past are now here at R!OT, so I feel very comfortable and excited about this move."

Tomei has been freelancing through several Los Angeles area post facilities, including visual effects producer Area 52. Her credits there include the spot Spectacular Reveal launching the Toyota Tundra SUV for Saatchi & Saatchi, Torrance, in which a vehicle assembles itself while speeding across a desert salt flat. She also contributed to the Gatorade spot Challenge directed by Samuel Bayer and produced by Foote, Cone & Belding, Chicago; and to the Macy Gray video Do Something (Epic Records).

Additionally, Tomei's commercial credits include the Nissan spot Toys, conceived by TBWA Chiat/Day, Venice, CA and directed by Kinka Usher. Tomei, who worked through POP Studios (now R!OT) on the project, earned a Bronze Clio Award for her work.

Tomei also freelanced for several years through the broadcast design house Pittard Sullivan. She later collaborated with former Pittard Sullivan motion graphics designer Suzanne Kiley on the show open for Oprah, for which she won an Emmy Award. She also worked with Kiley on the show open for the series Profiler. Tomei began her career as a Chyron artist with Video Transitions, Hollywood.

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Monday, February 5, 2001

New Animated and Anime DVD Titles Being Released Tomorrow
Here is a list of animated and anime titles being released to DVD tomorrow:

Digimon - The Movie (2000)
Gundam Wing the Movie - Endless Waltz (2000)
Escaflowne - Angels and Demons (V.3)
Escaflowne - Past and Present (V.4)
Prince of Egypt/Joseph - King of Dreams (Combo Set)
Sailor Moon S (TV Series Vols. 1/2, Uncut Version) (2000)

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Caligari Ships trueSpace 5
Caligari Corporation, a pioneer provider of 3D authoring tools, today began shipping trueSpace 5, the newest version of its 3D modeling and animation program. In trueSpace 5 Caligari adds a full complement of NURBS-based modeling tools, physically realistic, faster rendering, and advanced surfacing features. In addition, new support for industry standard IGES, SAT and STL formats streamlines trueSpace 5 compatibility with traditional CAD/CAM applications, providing a real-time authoring tool for designers that combines the high-end modeling, rendering and animation power they require, at a mid-range price far below competing solutions.

"trueSpace 5 is the most powerful, yet easy-to-use application available today for artists and graphic designers," said Roman Ormandy, president and CEO of Caligari. "The improvements to our latest version, based on extensive input from our users, combine increased functionality with an even more intuitive user interface. Speed, real-time response, and advanced tools are all critical in the design field, and those needs are the central focus of trueSpace 5."

New Features -- User Interface
trueSpace's widely recognized and often emulated 3D user interface allows for real-time direct manipulation in a hardware accelerated, integrated, 3D perspective work space where designers can interact intuitively with 3D objects and environments. The DX7/OpenGL-based rendering engine coupled with Intel SSE and AMD 3Dnow! CPU optimization provides real time feedback on all operations. TrueSpace5 has also been optimized for top performance on the upcoming Intel Pentium 4 processor.

Other interface enhancements include:
-- context-based direct manipulation editing
-- Magic Ring for interactive manipulation of primitive shapes
-- Draw Panel for performing 2D operations directly in the 3D workspace
-- Tri-View Panel extends the Draw Panel into the 3rd dimension for
skinning and sweeps
-- fully integrated visual asset libraries with universal drag-and-drop
floating toolbars and individual tools to customize your workspace

NURBS based Modeling
trueSpace 5 expands the already formidable modeling toolset with a full implementation of NURBS-based modeling tools including all Sweeps, Rails, Lofts, Skinning, and Cross-sections. NURBS can be combined with stitching, blending, filleting and cut with trimming curves -- all in real-time, full 3D perspective. NURBS Geometry Paint provides users with a paint brush to modify NURBS surface geometry in real time.

Other new modeling features include:
-- Real-time subdivision surfaces for easier texturing and animation
traditional CAD-like layers, improved dimensioning, and advanced 2D
drawing tools
-- fully-parameterized 2D and 3D primitives with Magic Ring visual control
-- enhanced snapping tools
-- MetaMuscles

Advanced Surfacing
A completely redesigned Materials Editor and new IIR (incremental image rendering) technology allow designers to move the resizable material editor windows over any scene object and edit surface materials directly with near real-time feedback.

3D paint tools can now paint on textured surfaces with real-time feedback using arbitrary bitmap as a brush. With real-time UV mapping in trueSpace 5, users can precisely position and apply any texture projection, using a 3D widget, and get immediate feedback, in solid textured mode.

Physically Accurate Rendering
New physically accurate lights, and image-based rendering technology allow for an unparalleled level of realism. trueSpace 5 offers faster rendering with better image quality and lower memory use, and new non-linear tone mapping capabilities to generate even more realistic images. Ten new advanced shaders include mapped reflectance, shadow catchers, new fog, wood, leather, and curvature visualization shaders.

Output for the Web
Caligari provides full support for Viewpoint Experience Technology (formerly Metastream) from within trueSpace 5, making it an ideal authoring tool for creating advanced visualizations and marketing content for interactive Web sites. Designed as a native 3D web authoring solution, trueSpace 5 will also support the 3D graphics playback technology that Intel and Macromedia are developing for the Internet.

More Precise Animation Controls
For detailed character animation, NURBS and subdivision surfaces can now be animated at the control vertex level, and trueSpace5 continues to offers linear key-framed animation, and non-linear physics-based animation with properties such as wind, gravity, and collision detection. Now, with DX7 hardware geometry acceleration, trueSpace 5 lets users compute the radiosity solution interactively, while navigating in real-time through a scene.

System Requirements
trueSpace5 requires a Pentium II CPU (Pentium III recommended), Windows 95/98/2000/NT, 64MB RAM, and 50MB of free hard disk space. For optimum performance, 128MB RAM and a 3D accelerator are recommended.

Pricing and Availability
trueSpace 5 for Windows is available now directly from Caligari for $795. TrueSpace 4 users can upgrade for $299, trueSpace 3 users for $399, and trueSpace 2 users for $499. A separate trueSpace 5 Conversion Pack, which contains file conversion modules for SAT, IGES, STL, Viewpoint, (and later Shockwave3D) is available for $99. A flexible tsxAPI is available to 3rd-party developers writing plug-ins.

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Tuesday, February 6, 2001

Box Office Results for Animated Films
Here are the Box Office results for animated films last weekend as The Emperor's New Groove nears the $80 million mark, a number that seemed unreachable to critics after the animated movie's poor opening weekend in mid-December:

The Emperor's New Groove
$2.0 Million ($1,438 per screen average - 24% decrease)
19th at the Box Office (down from #15 last weekend)
Total to Date: $81.8 Million

Rugrats in Paris
$165,607 Million ($464 per screen average - 23% decrease)
33rd at the Box Office (down from #28 last weekend)
Total to Date: $75 Million

Cyberworld 3D
$155,825 ($4,211 per screen average - 0% decrease)
36th at the Box Office (down from #32 last week)
Total to Date: $5.5 Million

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Violence Finds a Niche in Children's Cartoons
According to the New York Times:

"A pug-nosed thug kicks in an elderly storekeeper's face. Then he punches a young heroine in the eye and cracks her in the small of the back with a heavy bar stool. Her limp frame collapses to the ground as he stands over her with his gun drawn and pointed at her head...

A little girl karate-kicks another little girl so hard that she flies through the air. Her head smashes into a cement post. She is knocked cold.

Scenes from the latest R-rated thrillers or video games? Actually, these are moments culled from a wave of fast-action Japanese-style animation television shows that now fill much of the children's programming..."

Click here for the full story (may require free registration to view)

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Wednesday, February 7, 2001

Beauty and the Beast Coming to IMAX
Disney is apparently set to announce, within the next few weeks, that it is bringing Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the only animated film ever to be nominated for a "Best Picture" Academy Award, to IMAX screens later this year or in early 2002. There's no word on whether there will be a theatrical rerelease for the film.

Even though Beauty and the Beast does not lend itself well to an IMAX treatment (particularly with spinning shots like the beginning of the ballroom sequence), Disney seems set on turning the film into an IMAX money maker for them as it did with Fantasia 2000. Disney is also heavily invested in the IMAX format which is why it is giving the giant so much attention.

Disney has sat on a rerelease of Beauty and the Beast for years, often debating when to release it and whether to add new footage (or "deleted" scenes) to increase its market appeal. Many of these questions are expected to be answered within the next two weeks.

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Pixar to Receive Oscar Recognition for Renderman
Pixar will receive Oscar recognition for technology advancement within the movie industry for its "Renderman" program used in big name blockbusters like Titanic and The Matrix. The award will be presented to Pixar on March 3 and will be received by Loren Carpenter, Ed Catmull, and Rob Cook.

According to Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Robert Rehme, "This is the first Oscar ever given specifically for the development of computer software."

Renderman is a high quality renderer software package that "allow designers to believably integrate stunning synthetic effects with live-action footage," according to Pixar.

This will be the second high-profile award that Pixar has received for Renderman. In 1993, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored the developers of RenderMan with a Scientific and Engineering Achievement Award for their contribution to the motion picture industry.

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Thursday, February 8, 2001

Icebox Closing Down
The online animation portal, Icebox, is closing down this week. Icebox is just one of dozens of high-profile sites that are closing down monthly due to money strains and the inability to turn a profit online. Icebox was know for the hundreds of animated shorts it delivered online. The flawed business model, however, put the company out of business in only 14 months.

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The Woman of 1,000 Voices
According to The Salt Lake Tribune:

"How many times do you figure Mel Blanc, the Man of a 1,000 Voices, had to put up with well-meaning fans who tried to out Bugs the voice of Bugs Bunny?

'Yes, said Tress MacNielle, 'frankly, you just grin and bear it. Everyone is entitled to their own dream.'

It must be a disease, because not two minutes after meeting MacNielle, I tried a voice from one of the many shows she works on, 'The Simpsons.' MacNielle talked to me anyway.

For a second, she became Principal Skinner's mother, which was cool.
Tress MacNielle has followed the path carved by Mel Blanc. She is one of the voice-over industry's most versatile talents..."

Click here for the full story.

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Friday, February 9, 2001

Pixar Posts Record Earnings
Pixar Animation Studios today announced financial results for its fiscal fourth quarter and year ending December 30, 2000. For the quarter, Pixar earned $35.2 million, or $0.71 per diluted share. These results compare to earnings of $9.6 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, achieved in the year-ago quarter. Revenues for the quarter were $75.7 million, as compared to $24.9 million in the year-ago period.

Revenues for the fiscal year ending December 30, 2000 were $172.3 million, up from $121.0 million for the fiscal year ended January 1, 2000. Earnings for the same periods were $78.4 million and $49.2 million, respectively. Diluted earnings per share for fiscal year 2000 were $1.57, up from $0.99 for the 1999 fiscal year.

``We are delighted to report Pixar's highest quarterly and yearly earnings to date, which reflect the worldwide success of Toy Story 2 and the evergreen profit potential of our growing library,'' said Pixar CEO Steve Jobs. "Looking forward, we are thrilled with our studio's next feature film, Monsters, Inc., and are gearing up for its release this November.''

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CINAR Goes to China
CINAR Corporation is in China to negotiate co-production deals with two companies.

Company representatives Peter Moss, president CINAR Entertainment, Dan Tierney, vice president business development, and Enguan Xu, executive Canada-China business development will be in China from February 7 to the 15. CINAR will also attend the annual general meeting of the Canada China Business Council (CCBC), a private-sector, non-profit membership organization that facilitates and promotes trade and investment between Canada and the People's Republic of China. CINAR has been a member of the CCBC for a number of years.

CINAR's delegation is in China in order to move forward with business discussions with two Chinese companies, China Central Television (CCTV), the largest broadcaster in China (which also owns a production arm), and the Shanghai Animation Film Studio (SAFS). CINAR collaborated with CCTV on Journey to the West: The Legend of the Monkey King and with SAFS on A Miss Mallard Mystery. CINAR will sign letters of intent to produce two new animated series in the presence of Canadian and Chinese delegates.

"We are pleased that we are able to help these two prestigious companies showcase their remarkable talents in film animation on the world stage," said Peter Moss. "Not only is China a large emerging market, but it is an active participant in the world entertainment industry."

Other CINAR Stories (starting with most recent):
CINAR to Release Unaudited Information
CINAR Sues Co-Founders for $28.6 Million (second story)
CINAR's Auditors Resign (scroll down to second story after clicking)
CINAR Avoids Fraud Charges (scroll down to second story after clicking)
CINAR Signs Deal to Recover Money (scroll down to fourth story after clicking)
CINAR Fires It's Founders! (scroll down to second story after clicking)
Fired CINAR Founders Fight Back
CINAR Trading Suspended (scroll down to second story after clicking)
CINAR May Be Target of Acquisition Attempt
CINAR Discusses Investigation

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Saturday, February 10, 2001

Animation Industry Job Fair Coming in March
The inaugural, two-day Animation Business Marketplace, Job Fair, and Creative Conference, which will be held March 1 & 2 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, will feature a series of Animation Career Sessions led by many of the animation industry's leading recruitment executives. The Animation Career Sessions are a series of presentations (to be conducted on two concurrent "tracks,") designed to enhance career opportunities for both individuals with and without artistic skills.

The high powered guest speakers include executives Jay Francis, Director of Talent Recruiting, Film Roman; Frank Gladstone, Training Director, DreamWorks; Tom Knott, Director of Recruitment, Warner Bros.; Joe Caggiano, Director of Recruitment, Disney TV; Rachelle Lewis, Director of Recruitment, Klasky Csupo; Sande Scoredos, Exec. Director of Training, Sony Imageworks; Kat Fair, Head of Recruitment, Nickelodeon; Glen Campbell, Visual Effects Supervisor, Area 51, and Pamela Thompson, Independent Recruiter, Ideas to Go.

Career Session titles include: "Know what your Art Options Are," "Choose the Right Artistic Path," "Construct the Right Curriculum," "Know how to Market Yourself," and "Build the Right Portfolio," as well as presentations on finding jobs for artists and non-artists in the feature film, television, visual effects, commercials/post-production, and video-game industries.

In addition to the Career Sessions, the two-day Animation Business Marketplace, Job Fair and Creative Conference will also offer members of the entertainment industry, as well as the general public, the chance to explore numerous other aspects of the animation business, including new trends, techniques, content, and distribution channels, in movies, television, the Internet, visual effects, commercials, and video-games.

Event Director Jodi Bluth said, "The Animation Business Marketplace, Job Fair, and Creative Conference is truly America's most unique opportunity to provide a high-level networking atmosphere for anyone interested in animation and new media."

The Animation Creative Conference is a series of panels featuring leaders of the animation industry, while The Animation Business Marketplace and Job Fair, is a networking opportunity for those interested in exploring animation business relationships, joint ventures, and presenting story or show pitches, as well as for those seeking related jobs.

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Sunday, February 11, 2001

Release Date for Monsters, Inc. Moved Up
Apparently fearing a repeat of what happened when 102 Dalmations went up against The Grinch, Disney and Pixar have moved the release date up three weeks for Pixar's Monsters, Inc. to cushion the impact against the new Harry Potter movie being released in November.

Monsters, Inc. was originally scheduled to be released Thanksgiving weekend, but will now be released three weeks earlier. It will now be released November 2, 2001 while Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone will be released on November 16, 2001.

Last year, Disney's 102 Dalmations lost a lot of business to The Grinch, prompting a closer look at this year's Disney and Disney partnership releases.