Nicktoons Network Animation Festival Kicks Off Its Third Annual Event With Six Highly Esteemed Judges

Nicktoons Network Animation Festival Kicks Off Its Third Annual Event With Six Highly Esteemed Judges

Let the Gavel Drop and the Festivities Begin!

Judges Include Thugaboo's Shawn and Marlon Wayans, Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane, Disney Animator Andreas Deja, Animator Bill Plympton and the 2005 Nicktoons Network Animation Festival Producers Choice and Student Award Winner, JG Quintel

NEW YORK, May 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The third annual Nicktoons Network Animation Festival, has selected six esteemed judges for this year's festivities, it was announced today by Keith Dawkins, Vice President and General Manager, Nicktoons Network. Comedic brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans, creators of a brand new animated special Thugaboo, set to air on both Nicktoons Network and Nickelodeon in August, will serve on a panel of artists that also includes Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, Disney's Andreas Deja, famed independent animator Bill Plympton and last year's Producers Choice and Student Award Winner JG Quintel. All six judges will screen the films submitted for the festival and will rate them based on story, animation, design, entertainment value and fun factor, in order to find this year's $10,000 Grand Prize winner.

The Nicktoons Network Animation Festival, in partnership with Frederator Studios and Kidscreen magazine kicks off with a two-day live event at the Nicktoons Studios in Burbank, California on Saturday, August 12 and Sunday, August 13. As the world's first multiplatform animation festival, submissions from around the globe will be showcased on Nicktoons Network and at the network's website, http://www.nicktoonsnetwork.com/. A countdown of the entries will premiere each day beginning Saturday, August 26 through Thursday, August 31, leading up to the Grand Prize winner who will be hand picked by our judges.

In addition to the Grand Prize, the festival has partnered with Time For Kids magazine for a "Show off Your Show" kids contest, in which one lucky young winner will walk away with the festival's first ever Greater Creator Award. There will also be a Producer's Choice Award and Student Award and also new for this year, a Diversity Award.

"The participation of this year's stellar team of judges helps to substantiate the incredible growth and excitement the Nicktoons Network Animation Festival continues to bring to the creative community and our audience," said Dawkins. "The new Diversity Award exemplifies our commitment to the diverse global community and the festival's global reach."

"The Festival always attracts a well-rounded panel of elite jurors and artists that represent all facets of the animation industry," says Festival Chair, Fred Seibert. "For artists entering our festival, it means that their work is seen by animation's A-list."

The Nicktoons Network Animation Festival continues to be on the hunt for a selection of original short films created in any style of animation that do not exceed 10 minutes in length. Animators from around the world can submit entries until Wednesday, May 31st. Entry forms can be downloaded on http://www.nicktoonsnetwork.com/.

Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans grew up in a comedic family where making your siblings laugh at the kitchen table was second nature. Both brothers have collaborated on many projects together including the highly anticipated animated special Thugaboo set to air on both Nicktoons Network and Nickelodeon in August. They also co-produced, co-wrote, and co-starred together in Little Man, White Chicks, Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, Scary Movie 1 & 2 and I'm Gonna Get You Sucka!

Seth MacFarlane is easily one of the youngest people ever to create a television series. As creator and executive producer for the FOX animated series Family Guy MacFarlane started his career at MADtv with his animated short The Life of Larry. He has collaborated with Hanna-Barbera and is responsible for the animated series' Ace Ventura, Jungle Cubs and Johnny Bravo.

Andreas Deja is a world-renowned Disney animator that has worked on many of today's classic and highly successful animated films, some of which include Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and Lilo & Stitch.

Bill Plympton is best known for his oblique off-center sense of the ridiculous in many of his short films that have been seen across the country in many television networks including MTV. His animation creations have also crossed over to the advertising world where his work has been showcased in commercials including famed board game Trivial Pursuit and NutraSweet product Sugar Delight. His work includes The Tune, Microtoons, Boomtown, Plymptoons, How to Kiss and 25 Ways to Quit Smoking.

JG Quintel returns to the Nicktoons Network Animation Festival as a judge after garnering last year's Producers Choice and Student Award for his film The Naive Man From Lolliland. He graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a degree in character animation in December 2005. JG is currently working as a storyboard artist on Camp Lazlo at Cartoon Network.

Nicktoons Network, the 24-hour animation network features a wide spectrum of programming that has defined kids television for more than 10 years. Targeting kids 6-14, Nicktoons Network airs 75% exclusive programming such as Kappa Mikey; My Dad the Rock Star; Corneil & Bernie; Martin Mystery; Kaput & Zosky; and Yakkity Yak, as well as classic Nicktoons hits such as Ren & Stimpy; Invader Zim; SpongeBob SquarePants; and The Fairly OddParents. Nicktoons Network is the official home to the Nicktoons Network Animation Festival. It is the world's first multiplatform animation festival providing kids and future animators an artistic hub where they can express their creativity and talent to a network that applauds budding doodlers across the country.

Nicktoons Network currently reaches 38 million homes via cable, digital cable and satellite, and can be seen on Cablevision; Charter Communications; Comcast Cable; Cox Communications; DirecTV; DISH Network; and Time Warner Cable. Nicktoons, and all related titles and logos are property of Viacom, Inc.

Frederator Studios (http://www.frederator.kz/) has been making original cartoons since 1998, executive producing The Fairly Oddparents, Oh Yeah! Cartoons, and Random! Cartoons. Channel Frederator (http://www.channelfrederator.com/) is the world's first and largest cartoon podcasting network, featuring submitted films from around the world.

Source: Nicktoons Network

CONTACT: Mirian Arias, +1-212-846-7653, Mirian.Arias@noggin.com, or
Nicole Parker, +1-818-736-3613, Nicole.Parker@nick.com, both for Nicktoons
Network

Web site: http://www.nicktoonsnetwork.com/
http://www.frederator.kz/
http://www.channelfrederator.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment