Two Bermuda lizards and a toad have been chosen to appear in an inaugural festival in Chicago, Illinois next month.

The creatures are all animated characters in cartoonist Al Seymour Jr's short film "Raptilez on de Rock" which will be screened at the Chicago International Animation Film Festival (Cineme).

Mr. Seymour's film was selected from thousands of entries for the festival which will run from November 7 to 9.

Cineme 2003 will be an exhibition to showcase the best of animated cinema from around the world. Organisers of the festival said that for four days each year it will be the "hottest ticket for animation in the USA".

Although this will be its inaugural year, organisers have lined up animation professionals from all genres, including film, television, commercial, VFX, gaming, Web, music and experimental, storyboard artists and screenwriters.

Also expected to be on hand are giants from the software, hardware and entertainment industries.

Mr. Seymour said he is excited to participate in the event and is looking forward to networking with the various industry professionals.

"Raptilez on de Rock" debuted at the Bermuda International Film Festival last year and met with such enthusiasm from local audiences, that Southside Cinema and The Little Theatre picked it up when the festival ended.

Raptilez is only four minutes long, ran as the short before the most of the features which screened at Southside from May to August. It ran at the Little Threatre from the end of June to the end of August.

Written and voiced by local Philip Cook, it is a look at the intelligence, or lack thereof, of toads - through the eyes of two lizards.