Don Bluth to Receive Cartoons on the Bay’s Lifetime Achievement Honor

The annual Italian animation festival Cartoons on the Bay has released its list of program tributes, Pulcinella Award nominees and panels for its upcoming edition. The 14th edition of the four-day event (April 15-18), which takes play in the Rapallo, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure (the Golfo region of Tiglio) will offer the usual mix of TV previews, special tributes, one-on-ones with directors, producers, TV execs and charming contests and local flavors.

Widely acclaimed American animator Don Buth will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s edition of the festival. Bluth, who set a new standard for independent animators by breaking away from Disney in 1979, setting up his own studio (Sullivan-Bluth) in Ireland, and directing animated pics such as The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, The Land Before Time, Anastasia and Titan A.E. as well as the laserdisc game Dragon’ Lair has been invited to speak at the event

Atlantyca, the acclaimed Milan-based studio and publishing company behind such shows as Geronimo Stilton, Dive Olly Dive and the upcoming Oscar and Co., will receive the festival’s Italian Studio of the Year honor at this year’s festival. The studio’s chairman Pietro Marietti, CEO Claudio Mazzucco and exec producer Caterina Vacchi will present a special panel on the first day of the event.

Panels and Pulcinellas

This year’s edition will also feature a slate of panels that explore the role of animation in spreading positive messages about tolerance and cultural, social, religious and political diversity. ‘Our program will highlight how cartoons have reflected a wide range of diversities and continue to show how some see diversity as a threat and others see it as cultural enrichment,’ notes the festival’s artistic director, Roberto Genovesi. The festival has devoted various panels and screenings to animated projects produced in China, Iran, Egypt and Dubai.

Gisella De Pace (ICE), Kevin Geiger (Magic Dumpling), Issac Wu Chen (e Top Multimedia), Wu Tao (Blue Dolphin Animation) and Kieron Seamons (Sandman Animation) will offer new insights into the Chinese Animation sector and present upcoming projects and co-productions. Also on tap is a panel on the new Chinese-Italian co-production Marco Polo, with Francesco Testa, Cristina Lastrego, Luca Milano and Alfio Bastiancich (president of Asifa, Italy). RAI will also present a premiere of its upcoming animated series, Water and Bubbles, with exec producer Max Carrier Ragazzi, Maganimation animation supervisor Claudia Arcangeli, author Elena Mora and director Guido Manuli.

The festival will also award Pulcinella Awards in nine different categories (Preschool Series, Kids Series, Tween Series, Young Adult Series, Pilot, Shot Film, UNICEF’s Educational and Issues Film, Interactive Animation, and Cross-Media Project). Christy Dena, Maya Goetz, Gary Goldman, Nicole Keeb and Diana Manson make up this year’s distinguished panel of judges.

Here is a complete list of the 2010 Pulcinella Nominations:

TV Series for Preschool

Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures

Fifi and the Flowertots

Fun with Claude

Guess with Jess

Pipi Pupu e Rosmarina

TV Series for Kids

Angelo Rules

Fanboy & Chum Chum

Geronimo Stilton

Mystery After Mystery – The Holy Shroud Told to Kids

Sally Bollywood

TV Series for Tween

Marie & Gali

Marvo the Wonder Chicken

The Penguins of Madagascar

Bunny Maloney

The Show with the Mouse (Where Willi Goes)

TV Series for Young Adults

Flying Trapeze

Kinky & Cosy

The Little Sun

Kung Fu Masters of the Zodiac

Pilot for TV Series

Animated Fairy Tales

Pumpkin Reports

Cavity Express

Marfy of Dreams

Verne on Vacation

Interactive Animation

Ciro

Diabolik: The Original Sin

Superbike 2009

Uncharted2: Among Thieves

Free Running

Short Film

Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty

Mobile

The Gruffalo

The Lady and the Reaper

The Promise

Tora Chan

Christy Dena (director of Universe Creation 101), Maya Goetz (director of Prix Jeunesse and Intl. Central Institute for Educational and Kids’ TV, producer and director Gary Goldman (Anastasia, Titan A.E., The Land Before Time, The Secret of NIMH, Dragon’s Lair and many other acclaimed projects with Don Bluth), Nicole Keeb (ZDF’s head of intl. co-pros, development and acquisition) and Diana Manson, Chorion Ent.’s exec VP of development and creative and founder of Silver Lining Productions (Max and Ruby, Mr. Men Show, Olivia) make up this year’s distinguished panel of judges.

For more info about the 14th Edition of Cartoons on the Bay, visit www.cartoonsbay.com.