Western Australian animation again takes the screen this time in the ABC short series THE DREAMING. Animation Drawing for three episodes of the series   were commissioned by east coast producers Aboriginal Nations. The Western Australian production house David Downie Film Productions completed drawing on the episodes entitled  Boolba Dreaming, The Wa:Tji Bird, The Euro and the Kangaroo which will screen on ABC Television.

Screening Dates are:

David Downie Film Productions  the FAT CAT ADVENTURES take the front page of the West Australian Newspaper and a full colour page in the Today arts insert. The three television idents fill the familiar Good night boys and girls slot on TVW-7.

"Forget the millennium model. Here comes the millennium cat. Fat Cat is floating into the next century in a spacesuit and scuba mask. the new thoroughly modern cat will be seen in the Goodnight Girls and Boys Spot on Channel 7 at 7:30 tonight.

In three dream-like sequences the cat takes to outer space, the big deep and the jungle. The eternal seven-year-old even changes his clothes. There's an orange and red spacesuit with bubble helmet one day, a bumblebee striped bathing suit another and a tan safari suit with matching safari hat on yet another,

The different episodes will be shown at random so children can guess where FAT CAT will go that night - and no doubt what he will wear"

Wendy Caccetta

The FAT CAT adventures were produced in the studios of David Downie Film Productions and commissioned by TVW-7

Screening Times are:

7:30 Nightly

"Switch on a few minutes before the ABC's 7pm news on Saturdays and you'll catch an entertaining animated series which features indigenous stories from across the county.

The Dreaming (tomorrow, ABC, 6:50pm.) features creation stories, which reveal the social customs and way of life of communities on WA, South Australia, Queensland and Victoria.

Animation for three episodes in the current series - including tomorrow's episode - was produced locally by David DOWNIE Film Productions, with sound by local musician Ben Chase.

"What fascinated me about the series is how much can be gained through this type of indigenous storytelling. The stories tackle complex issues in a seemingly simple context, evoking such a deep and thought provoking response", Downie said.

The Wa:Tji bird as told by Barney Lindsey is the story of an argument between all the birds of the land over which of them is the best.

The Wa:Tji bird suggests that to end all the arguments, they should hold a competition to see who can fly the highest. It features the sounds of many native birds. which provide a relaxing background to the tale of a small bird that reaches great heights."

My View, Derek Peddle

-The Western Australian Newspaper Friday March 31, 2000

The not so sweet and very unwell SICK DOG receives his place of television pick of the day (yielding more column inches than Jana).

"Short and not so sweet

A DOG with a terrible tendency to vomit is the star of Sick Dog, one of three short films from WA screening tonight in week two of the SBS short-film season Fetching Shorts (8pm).

Sick Dog, the debut animation from underground comic book artist Alex Manfrin comes to the small screen in all its black, white and Technicolor glory courtesy of David Downie Film Productions. Sick Dog offends his owner Craig by vomiting at home, at the supermarket and on a policeman.

The whole film is in black and white except the vomit, which is green until the dog eats MSG-laden Dog Chow, which turns its output Technicolor. The drawings are pretty basic and the humour will appeal to fans of South Park.

Tonight's other films are Pillar Pearl and Jesus Saves Us."

Sue Yeep

SICK DOG was produced in the studios of David Downie Film Productions with the assistance of Screenwest and SBS Independent.