The Sixth Annual Comic Arts Conference is acceptingpapers to be presented at a joint meeting of comics scholars andprofessionals in San Diego, California during the Comic-Con International,August 13 - 16, 1998. Faculty, students, and those outside the universitycommunity are encouraged to make submissions for papers and sessions whichtake a critical or historical perspective on comics, comic strips, comicbooks, woodcut novels, etc. Please note, editorial cartoons, caricatures,
The Goethe Institute will present a non-competitiveanimation festival called Metamorfosi, May 11-15, 1998 in Rome, Italy. Theevent will feature films, seminars, meetings and exhibitions on animationfrom different countries. Animators whose work will be showcased includeGiannini & Luzzati (Italy), Raimund Krumme (Germany), Phil Mulloy (U.K.)and Jan Lenica (Poland). For information, contact mc1983@mclink.it or visitwww.goethe.de/it/rom.
"Optical Poetry," a major exhibition ofthe work of the late abstract animation filmmaker Oskar Fischinger openedlast week at the Jack Rutberg Fine Arts gallery at 357 North LaBrea Avenuein Los Angeles, California. The exhibition, which runs through June,features more than 40 original paintings and drawings created byFischinger. Other than a mutoscope created by Fischinger which is only ondisplay, all of the artwork in the show is for sale. Prices range between$6,000-$80,000 per piece. A video cassette -"The Films of Oskar Fischinger
Viacom-owned cable network UPN has reached anagreement with Buena Vista Television to broadcast Disney animatedchildren's programming. Starting in fall 1999, UPN will air a two-hourblock of syndicated, Disney-branded shows which is most likely to includeprograms from the "Disney's One Saturday Morning" block which currentlyairs on ABC: "Disney's Recess," "Disney's Doug," "Disney's Pepper Ann" and"Disney's Hercules." Kellogg's, which sponsored the "Disney Afternoon"syndicated program block, will retain it's primary sponsorship role as the
ACME FILMWORKS director BILL PLYMPTON created two animatedPSAs as part of a literacy campaign sponsored by 7-Eleven. The two15-second spots will air as bumpers on the PBS series "Wishbone." Theagency was The Richards Group in Dallas, Texas, and the producer was DianaLawless. . . . New Zealand-based FLEA CIRCUS, represented in the U.S. byCURIOUS PICTURES, created a seven and four second bumper for Nickelodeon's"Toons From Planet Orange," a program showcasing animation from around the
Disney's new theme park, Animal Kingdom, opensin Orlando, Florida on April 22. The 500-acre park features live animals,rides, and a few attractions which utilize animation. "It's Tough to be aBug," a show that takes place in a 430-seat theater inside a giant tree,combines 3-D computer animation with animatronic characters. Viewers wear"bug-eye" polarized glasses to view the animation, which was produced byDisney in association with Pixar, which is currently in production on the
Palo Alto, California-based PACIFIC DATA IMAGES (PDI)has hired JOHN BATTER to the newly created position of Chief FinancialOfficer. He previously held the same post at DreamWorks Interactive wherehe was part of the start-up management team. Prior to DreamWorks, Batterwas CFO for game developer Xatrix Entertainment. Batter's appointment willfree up time for PDI founder and president Carl Rosendahl to move into achairman's position. The company is also searching to fill an additional
All of the major voice actors on "The Simpsons"have renewed their contracts with Twentieth Century Fox to continue theirwork on the series. The last of the agreements were reached last week,after several weeks of contract negotiations which had four of theactors-Hank Azaria (Apu, Moe and others), Dan Castellaneta (Homer, Krusty,Barney and others), Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders and others) andYeardley Smith (Lisa)- requesting salaries upwards of $100,000 per episode
No, it's not "sick and twisted." It's "Spike & Mike's1998 Classic Festival of Animation," opening this Friday, April 10 at theCastro Theatre in San Francisco, California (running through April 22). Theprogram includes Pixar's Oscar-winning short, "Geri's Game," Piet Kroon's"T.R.A.N.S.I.T.," Aardman's "Stage Fright," Lasse Persson's "Hand in Hand,"Ben Gluck's "Man's Best Friend," Berad Beyreuther, Daniel Binder and RobertA. Zwirner's "Güten Appetit," Don Hertzfeldt's "Lily and Jim," Blair
