TOON TOWN; ANIMATION BOOM DRAWS WAVE OF JOBS TO STUDIO SITES ACROSS REGION.

Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer

Toon Town remains Busy Town.

Relegated to bit player status in the entertainment industry until the '90s, the animation industry now pervades multiplexes and TV networks. Six animated films took in more than $525 million collectively across the United States last year and the networks now have five animated shows in prime time.

``Over the past decade, we've gone through amazing growth,'' said Antran Manoogian, president of ASIFA-Hollywood, the local chapter of the International Animated Film Society. ``You hear about someone new getting involved in producing a new show almost every day.''

One sign of permanence comes Friday at the sixth annual Animation Expo, which runs two days at Glendale's Civic Auditorium. Events include workshops, panels, screenings and product demonstrations. Attendance is expected to hit 5,000.

``When we started six years ago, the event was primarily a job fair but now it's much more of an expo,'' said Manoogian, a Disney animation executive. ``The level of interest is amazingly high because it's become such a popular medium.''

Observers figure that animation employs approximately 3,500 people in the San Fernando Valley and surrounding areas. Warner Bros. and The Walt Disney Co. have cut animation jobs recently but DreamWorks SKG, Nickelodeon, Klasky-Csupo, Film Roman, Universal, Fox and Columbia TriStar may add jobs this year.

Kat Fair, recruitment head at Nickelodeon's Burbank studio, said the facility is at full capacity with 320 employees on five series - ``CatDog,'' ``Hey Arnold!'' ``Angry Beavers,'' ``Oh Yeah! Cartoons!'' and ``Sponge Bob Square Pants.'' Employment has doubled from when the studio opened a year ago.

Still, it may have been easier to break in four years ago, according to Manoogian. Salaries have flattened because studios have a larger talent pool, often hire on a per-project basis and send large amounts of work overseas.

Fair asserts there is a ``wealth of talent'' available, adding, ``Things are a little down overall now because other studios have found they can't hold employees over between projects so they have to let people go and re-hire them later. But it's not a signal that studios won't be producing as much.''

Manoogian said the major job requirement is simple: ``The key to breaking in is to have a fundamental art background and know the human figure backward and forward. Computers are a very important part of the industry but it's a misconception that they enable you to become an animator.''

The landscape has shifted notably on the high-profile movie side of animation, where Disney still leads but no longer dominates. ``A Bug's Life'' took in $159 million domestically but successes by DreamWorks and Nickelodeon made them viable players. As many as nine animated films, starting with Warner's ``The King and I'' and Disney's ``Doug's 1st Movie,'' will open this year.

As for TV, upcoming series include plenty of never-before-seen characters. NBC ordered two sitcoms last week: ``Sammy,'' loosely based on the life of David Spade; and ``God, the Devil and Bob.''

TOON TIME

WHAT: The sixth annual Animation Expo.

WHEN: Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

WHERE: Glendale Civic Auditorium, 1401 N. Verdugo Road.

WHO: Presented by ASIFA-Hollywood chapter of the International Animated Film Society. Booths include The Walt Disney Co., DreamWorks SKG, Nickelodeon and Warner Bros.

COST: One-day floor passes are free for members, $10 for others; two-day Expo passes, which include admission to the floor and seminars, are $25 for members, $50 for nonmembers.

CAPTION(S):

9 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1--Color) Nickelodeon's ``Sponge Bob Square Pants''

(2--Color) Disney's ``Hercules''

(3--Color) Nickelodeon's ``The Angry Beavers''

(4--Color) Disney's ``Winnie the Pooh, A Valentine for You''

(5--Color) Nickelodeon's ``Catdog''

(6--Color) Disney's ``Mouseworks''

(7--Color) Disney's ``Doug's 1st Movie''

(8--Color) Disney's ``Recess''

(9--Color) no caption (Donald Duck)

BOX: TOON TIME (see text)