Animated News was able to attend ASIFA-Hollywood’s 2D Animation Expo yesterday at Woodbury University in Burbank, and while there was not too much to be gleaned from the proceedings in the way of animation-related news, we did learn from Jim Capobianco of Pixar that there is no truth to the rumor that Pixar will be trying their hand (pun intended) at hand-drawn animation. We also learned that their Oscar-nominated short Boundin’ is likely to be shown in front of The Incredibles this fall.

Something cool we found out about at the expo was a software program called Mirage by Bauhaus Software, which looks to be a very powerful animation tool. The demonstrations were astounding, with animation so natural and expressive that it was hard to believe they were made on a computer.

We also learned that Animation Magazine and Nick Toons will shortly be announcing an animated shorts contest with a $10,000 grand prize. So if you have a short you’ve been working on then start priming it for submission!