by Michelle Klein-Häss

Well Ho, Ho, Ho, and I don't mean Sunset Blvd. either. Unlike most people in the media and in commerce, I have resisted the temptation to rush the Holiday season. But it's after Turkey Day now, and I can indulge as I see fit.

As an animation fan, I have my own wish list for fellow Animation Nerd Santa Claus to fill, as well as a list of gifts I'd like him to leave under the trees of other people in the industry. Unlike Thomas Reed's Santa, however, these are not conditional gifts. Everyone on the list has earned their gifts.

For Fox/News Corp. and Time/Warner, two media giants who have been singularly ruthless in going after animation fan websites:

Much attrition from the ranks of their fandom. The high-handed, bullying tactics of these companies in tearing down fan sites are repugnant and should be responded to by boycotts of their official websites, at the least.

For Spumco International Studios:

More sponsors for their online cartoons, and a nice juicy contract from Comedy Central to take "The Goddamn George Liquor Show" from the World Wide Web to the small screen as the logical companion to "South Park".

For Kid's WB Network:

A thump on the head for killing "Calamity Jane" before it could find its audience. At last, a strong female action hero in a show geared towards kids...something I craved as a girl.

For Peter Chung:

A nice budget and a free hand to make the "Æon Flux" movie as strong and sexy and violent and powerful as no doubt he wants to. MTV Pictures should not be afraid of the finished product being rated a hard R or even NC-17..."Æon Flux" the series was not kiddy fare or even fare for early teenagers, and any movie should push the envelope further.

For HBO Animation:

Enough courage to not fold, but to press forward to find better material than either "Spawn" or "Spicy City" turned out to be. And to facilitate this search, season tickets for all the major animation festivals and anthology road shows, from the World Animation Celebration to Spike and Mike's Sick And Twisted.

For Abby Terkuhle:

Another animated series as successful and as culturally significant as "Beavis and Butt-Head." Mr. Terkuhle's record as Executive Producer of MTV Animation has been one marked by audacious choices and much more creator-friendly policies than its sister operation Nicktoons.

For Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli:

US box office for "Princess Mononnuke" that tops both "Hercules" and "Pocahontas." If Disney does the right thing and merchandises the hell out of it, Studio Ghibli could be as big here as it is in Japan.

For The Walt Disney Company:

A railroad car full of coal for their predatory tactics in attempting to derail "Anastasia" at the switch. Michael Eisner makes Bill Gates seem like he's playing according to Hoyle. The embarrassing box office of their reissue of "The Little Mermaid" is proof that not even kids will gobble up everything Disney puts onto their plates.

For Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Home Video:

A heap of used Gritty Kitty for their setting "Cats Don't Dance" adrift without even the most minimal of publicity. The lack of promotion of the theatrical release was one thing, but burying the video release too was an even crueler move. Sure, you inherited "CDD" from Turner Pictures. So what? You had a possible Disney-killer in this fun, beautifully animated and unabashedly nostalgic film. It could have been treated as a wonderful gift, but instead, "CDD" was treated like a Red-Headed Stepchild. Shame on you.

• A price cut on Macromedia Flash 2's hideously high price. Not everyone who wants to use this wonderful tool for creating low-bandwidth, Web friendly multimedia has the budget to afford it. Knock the price down $100US (at least) and watch all the animator wannabes turn it into a top ten software seller.
• A merciful end to "The Simpsons," which ran out of ideas years ago yet is being beat to death because the ratings still are doing well. "Beavis and Butt-Head" was brought to an end before it got old...it's time to call Jack Kevorkian and put "The Simpsons" out of its misery.
• More, more "South Park" episodes, including the much-threatened "Jesus and Satan go at it in a pay-per-view wrestling match" episode. It's rude, it's crude and it's totally out of control...just how I like cartoons. May it live a long and raunchy life.
• Warner Home Video getting the "Golden Age of Looney Tunes" mill running again, with a box set of black and white Looney Tune cartoons in their original bi-chromatic splendor, release of all of the sets on DVD, and a drive to give the post-1948 cartoons the same royal treatment. "Silver Age of Looney Tunes" anyone? In a similar vein, WHV should license another video company like Bosko or Kino or someone else like that to put the "forbidden" LT/MM cartoons out. They don't have to take the publicity hit for putting out "Politically Incorrect" cartoons. There are several film buff video companies who would do it in a heartbeat.
• The computer industry, entertainment industry, and the video industry getting together to finally pull together STANDARDS for DVD and DVD-ROM. It's promising technology which will languish if manufacturers don't bite the bullet and get their acts together.
• More price cuts on computer parts! I never thought I could afford a scanner but in a matter of months the price fell from $250 or more to $120 or less. And now internal IDE Zip drives are down to $75 at the swaps. Keep the trend going, and I could have a LAN up here at Catseye Labs, home of ANP, by this time next year! ;-)
• And finally, success for ANP's move to the servers of Animation World Network over the next few months. We are grateful for the year and a half of service and sponsorship by the 2 COW HERD, and look forward to a bigger, better and cooler site thanks to AWN's generosity. Write this URL down: http://anp.awn.com/. The move should be complete by January!

Lastly, I want to wish everyone happy holidays, and a great 1998! Thanks for a great year and for all your support of the site.

If you have a rebuttal to this editorial, send it to mhass703@2cowherd.net. We'll be happy to post it here.

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Page last updated 1/15/1998

Michelle Klein-Häss
Box 2273, Van Nuys, CA 91404-2273
Contact Ms. Häss using the Communication Form.
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