A cartooning contest in Cancun, Mexico has themes of "cloning" and "free theme" (whatever the cartoonist wants) which artists could use to Furry advantage. Deadline: September 30, 2002. Grand prize: $US1,000. Four additional prizes of $US250 each. Humorous photo prize: $US500.

Mike Curtis posted to A.F.F. a link to this CNN story about the world's oldest Koala dying at the San Francisco Zoo. Clarry the koala lived to the ripe old age of 19, as opposed to koalas in the wild who seldom live past 12.

Ichthyosaurs aren't dinos, but the headlines are "Dino vomit!" at the BBC News homepage.
Discovered in a quarry in Peterborough, the fossilized 'puddle' of shells is believed to be an example of prehistoric puke, much like sperm whales throw up squid beaks. This new evidence leads some scientist to believe that ichthyosaurs expelled the shells from their prey before digesting to avoid internal damage.

From the NY Post:

The movie version of "SpongeBob," Nick's top-rated kid's show, will likely hit theaters in late 2003 or early 2004 and will be produced by Paramount, sources say.

Details are sketchy at this point, but there's a chance that SpongeBob and his pals could even leave the safe environs of their underwater home, Bikini Bottom - and venture elsewhere during the course of the movie.

For the full story: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/41124.htm

Here is a excuse to come to Florida and enjoy a convention at the same time. Pawpet Megaplex is hosting a con March 8-10th in Orlando, Florida at the Ramada Resort and Conference Center at 7400 International Drive.

Look for many events including mascot costume building, performance, Puppetry, Photography panel, a Variety show and Gaming.

Especially Gaming! I am looking for folks that want to run games or play. Miniatures, Role-playing, card games, Board games or CCG's. If you want to run something just go to the URL and follow the links. A nice bonus for pre-registered games is, RUN just ten hours of gaming and the con admission ($25.00) is free!

There's a new crossover trailer for Lilo & Stitch featuring yet another Disney movie:

http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/liloandstitch/interstitchals/aladdinmovies.html?movie=QT1500k

If you missed the first Lilo & Stitch crossover trailer, it's at:

http://www.encodethis.net/BVIM/bvim_lilo_stitch_1500.mov

And lastly, the new Ice Age trailer #3 is out. Fetch it and #1 and #2 if you haven't seen 'em at:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/ice_age/

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/australia020208_kangaroo.html

"In a copyright claim currently ruffling feathers - and furs - across Australia, Kevin Buzzacott,
an Aboriginal elder, has claimed that Qantas cannot use the flying kangaroo as a mascot
without the permission of the marsupial's indigenous 'owners.'"

Submitters comment: This is total BS!

The world Poitou population just went up by one. And where there's less than 200 of you, that's a big deal.
The very rare and prehistoric looking variety of donkey was born to a mother mare, using a new technique which helps trick the surrogate mother into thinking the implanted embryo is her own pregnancy, vasty reducing complications and miscarrage.
The embryo had to be 'relocated' when the mother donkey's knee problems put it into doubt whether she could sustain a baby to term.
Scientists say the technique, used first here to help a similar species become a surrogate for a rare cousin, will be a boon to endangered species reproduction, as well as rare breeds. Like the Poitou.

Corey May, Michael "Dooma" Wendschuh and Baruch Inbar had the luck many closet scriptwriters only dream of. Disney saw thier idea for a new Wind in the Willows film, and bought the look and treatment, as well as the kids as "Executive producers", for a six figure sum.
Based on a colaboation of May and Wendschuh, two film graduates, and the artistic vision of Inbar, an art school sculputor, the new vision gives the old story a "Jules Verne-influenced sensibility" and will be live action with either computer animated characters or CGI-enhanced costumed actors.

U.S. runner Tom Johnson went all the way to the United Arab Emirates to prove that when it comes to man versus horse in a test of desert endurance, man can win...barely.
Johnson beat al-Buraq, an Arabian rode by fellow American Jennifer Nice, by just 10 seconds in a 50 mile desert endurance challange.
Bothered by the heat and sand, as well as stray camels, Johnson kept his pace slow until the last few meters of the race, finishing in a sprint to pull in just before the stallion.
Al-Buraq was allowed rest periods and water as par endurance race rules. No one was on hand to make sure of the humane treatment of the human runner.

The Associated Press, by way of the Seattle P-I, reports that a late-night fire in Volketswil, Switzerland, destroyed 4 million chocolate Easter bunnies Wednesday. No word on how this may effect the price of the popular chocolate prey.

From Corona Coming Attractions:

A young clownfish named Nemo is stolen from the coral reef he calls home, forcing his father to undertake a mission to find him and bring him back.

December 2, 2000... Playing catch up here with a press release from last month that revealed the latest Pixar project is Finding Nemo. We've added the premise up top along with a new release date: Summer 2003. [Press release forwarded over by Dave Planche; info also sent in by Aurora Szalinski and litz27.]

February 4, 2002... We've finally launched our page for Pixar's next animated movie, Finding Nemo, because of the interesting scoop received this past weekend. Very little information about Nemo's storyline and characters has leaked out from the Pixar offices, so what our scooper has to say to us is quite valuable. Our anonymous informant leaks to us a number of new characters, an addition to the celebrity cast and describes what Nemo's animation looks like at this stage of its development...

Check out the webpage for the full scoop:
http://www.corona.bc.ca/films/details/findingnemo.html

The 5th Kyoto International Cartoon Exhibition, in September 2002, has announced "Coexisting With All Animals" as its theme. Deadline for entries is February 28, 2002. There are four prizes of 500,000 yen (roughly $3,700), 200,000 yen, 100,000 yen, and 20,000 yen.

BBC Online reports that Australian scientists have developed a method of studying whales without killing them. By analyzing the whale feces they can determine the species, quantity, and origin of krill eaten by the whales, in addition to a large number of other factors about the health of the whales and their ecosystem. Such analysis, which the scientest say is far cheaper than hunting whales, could replace most of the "research" currently used as the justification to kill some whales.

From Brandweek.com:

LOS ANGELES -- DreamWorks' animated horse love story, "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron," will be carried by a projected $75-100 million in promotional support and partnerships with Burger King, Baskin-Robbins, M&M/Mars, Hewlett-Packard and juice-maker Veryfine.

DreamWorks also is expecting solid retail tie-ins and has projected a Spirit presence in 80,000 retail outlets, sources said. DreamWorks executives were said to have held tete-a-tetes with Wal-Mart brass over a follow-up to the discounter's support for the studio's 2001 hit "Shrek," though no deals are signed.