Toonz Animation opens India facility

'Masters' week is backdrop to venue opening

By SUSANNE AULT

Software maker Toonz Animation has opened a 10,000-square-foot facility in India, spearheading its effort to expand its operations and begin producing full-length animated film and TV projects.

Toonz's "Week With the Masters," running Nov. 1-5 at the studio's digs in Trivandrum, India, will serve as the facility's grand opening.

Toonz, which specializes in ink and paint computer animation software packages, will host the toon summit to be headlined by several industry experts, including "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" animation director Rob Coleman and veteran Walt Disney layout and background artist Maurice Noble.

The event, to be held at Toonz's new facility inside the 180-acre TechnoPark Campus, will also include Harvard School of Design instructor Derek Lamb and animators Jeff Hale ("Garfield"), Phil Robinson ("The Flintstones") and Bill Matthews ("Sleeping Beauty").

Projects on drawing board

Debut projects for Toonz include developing TV series and commercials for the Cartoon Network. In addition, prexy and CEO Bill Dennis has Toonz on track to create four original TV pilots and a feature film by the studio's third year.

"Toonz Animation is the only studio staffed with such an experienced, international group of animation veterans who know how to meet the needs and production schedules of overseas studios and programming executives," said Dennis, who is currently seeking pacts with U.S., European and Asian companies.

Key staffers joining Dennis, who is the former CEO of Bombay and Singapore's RM/USL Studios, include commercial director K. Subra, former Cambridge Animation USA head Tom Tilbury and Pasi Animation and Fil Cartoons artist Pol Barona.

By November, Toonz said it will have 150 animators working inside the facility.