Vancouver: Not long ago, Vancouver multimedia company Motion Works was regarded as one of the pioneering companies in the new, shiny cd-rom outback. But it had somehow lost its map and wandered around for years buffeted by internal strife, hype, ego and misguided expansion dreams. The company changed ownership, started projects it couldn’t finish, was rescued from oblivion by a company going through its own growing pains, left coventure partners at the altar, bled money and suffered a restructuring that took it back to its roots.

So the launch of the cd-rom game Anastasia: Adventures with Pooka and Bartok – which accompanied the premiere of the 20th Century Fox animated feature Anastasia Nov. 21 – is a particularly sweet occasion.

Not only does it show that Motion Works is getting big projects out the door on time, but the Anastasia cd-rom caps off three consecutive profitable quarters, a first in the company’s nine-year history.

After losing $9.2 million (48 cents per share) on sales of only $1.7 million in fiscal 1996 (ended Dec. 31), Motion Works’ financial position has vastly improved in fiscal 1997.

Buoyed by cd-rom title development and royalties from successful titles in distribution, the company recorded a $78,000 profit on sales of $1.1 million in the first quarter and profits of $106,000 on sales of $1 million in the second quarter. The company’s third-quarter numbers, expected to be circulated by the end of November, were not ready at press time. However, spokeswoman Shannon Walker says the numbers demonstrate a third profitable quarter.

Still, based on the first two quarters alone, Motion Works is already 124% ahead of 1996’s full-year sales tally.

Key to the current income statement success is the latest cd-rom project.

Produced through Fox Interactive, Anastasia: Adventures with Pooka and Bartok features the voices of Meg Ryan and Hank Azaria.

Designed for children aged six to 12, the Anastasia cd allows players to help Anastasia (Ryan) travel from St. Petersburg to Paris to unravel the mysteries about her royal Russian roots.

Player progress is recorded in Anastasia’s diary and there are pitfalls to watch out for as evil Rasputin and his minions try to lock players in the underworld.

Games include Skull Toss and Doggy Dodge and promote exploration, problem solving and skill testing. The Anastasia disc can be used on Windows 3.1 or higher and Macintosh cd-rom players.

In other business, Motion Works has signed a deal to produce golf analysis and instructional cd-roms for Jack Nicklaus. The Nicklaus project uses the technology developed through this year’s project for SegaSoft.

Motion Works completed Cosmopolitan Virtual Makeover – which is being marketing by Cosmopolitan Magazine, Eastman Kodak and Cover Girl Cosmetics – earlier this year before it was put on store shelves in October.

The Cosmo disc, one of the few being marketed to women, allows users to test out their makeovers on the computer screen before they go to the salon. On file are 150 hairstyles, 20 hair colors, eye shadow, blush, lipstick and colored contact lenses. Fashions will be updated through a Website that includes the latest styles, colors and advice.

‘Our venture with SegaSoft and Cosmopolitan Magazine is a continuing implementation of Motion Works’ endeavor to incorporate traditional media – in this case, print – and the new digital technologies,’ says Don Gray, Motion Works’ chair and ceo.

And in Motion Works’ relatively new visual effects division, work on the Kingsborough/Everest feature Lazerhawk has been completed for the film’s scheduled delivery by calendar year end. Other visual effects work has been done for commercial clients such as Molson, the Grizzlies and Toyota and syndicated television series Stargate and Poltergeist.

Motion Works, a public company on the vse, is majority owned by Greenlight Communications, which divested most of its entertainment assets this year and returned to its core business of health-care communications.