Seeing Starz

I was up at the big yellow building by the Burbank Airport this a.m. There is still a sizable crew on The Simpsons Movie, but the good times are soon to end. David Silverman passes the word (per crew members I talked to) that mid-June is the end-of-project date, no ifs, ands, or maybes. If everybody goes much past then, Fox doesn't get the yellow people movie into neighborhood AMC by July 27th.

And if that were to happen, many corporate hearts would go flitter-flutter, I'm sure.

Meanwhile on the t.v. show side, show staffers continue to filter back from the feature. Today's questions: "What happens if the WGA goes on strike?" Does it hurt animation? Hurt us?"

I answered that a Writers Guild strike could impact 'toon production at Starz Media (The Simpsons, King of the Hill) and Fox Animation (Family Guy, American Dad) this Fall when the contract is up, since those four half-hours are written under a WGAw agreement. (Of course, I don't know if scripts are being stock-piled, or if the producers will record the voice actors ahead of a possible actors strike in mid 2008, or what the internal corporate dynamics are.)

But I allowed as how there's a bigger chance of a work slow-down or work stoppage if the WGAw and SAG go out on strike together in Spring 2008 when the Screen Actors Guild agreement ends. If that happens, and happens for a long span of time, then yeah. That could affect animation studios and artists big time.

I'm sure people felt way better after I got done explaining.