CBeebies in the U.K. and France Télévisions have jointly commissioned a brand-new 3D animated preschool series, Big Lizard, co-produced by U.K. animation studio Beakus and French production companies Watch Next Media and Je Suis Bien Content. The rights division of multi-Academy Award- and BAFTA-winning indie studio Aardman is handling global distribution for the 52 x 7’ show, which is scheduled to launch in Autumn
2024.
Featuring a voice cast including Josh Widdicombe (The Last Leg, QI, Taskmaster) as Dad, Mandip Gill (Hollyoaks, Doctor Who) as D.O.R.I.S. and Lois Sefton (123 Number Squad) as Cosima, Big Lizard was created by Amaël Isnard and Steve Smith (Beakus). Isnard will also direct the show, and Smith will produce alongside Je Suis Bien Content’s Franck Ekinci.
Big Lizard is a comedy-adventure series about a young astronaut called Cosima and a big lizard called… Big Lizard! The series mixes in some light education about science and prehistoric planet Earth.
Imagine having a whole alien planet to explore with your new best friend who happens to be a fun-loving Big Lizard! Cosmic!
“We are delighted to be partnering with such an amazing team to produce this brilliant, funny and unique show,” said Smith. “Big Lizard has all the ingredients it needs to enchant audiences and parents alike.”
Philippe Alessandri, CEO of Watch Next Media, and co-creator Ekinci added, “Following the success of Roger and Hello Kitty Super Style, Watch Next and JSBC are happy to consolidate their expertise in producing 3D animated series for preschoolers with Big Lizard.”
Animated chills and thrills abound this spooky season across Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney+! Disney Branded Television today unveiled a detailed roster of Halloween-themed tricks and treats awaiting kids, families and preschooolers, building on the Disney Junior slate announced last month.
The frightful fun begins Monday, September 25 with the debuts of Disney Channel’s live-action A.N.T. Farm special “Calling All the Monsters”andDisney Junior’s stop-motion animated Mickey and Friends spooktacular “Trick or Treats,” which follows Mickey and the gang as they go trick-or-treating. (Simulcasting on Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD.) After that, toony terrors will continue to pop up throughout October.
Must-see specials also include aSuperKitties22-minute full-length episode that sees the feline heroes tracking down a thief who has stolen all of the pets’ Howloween treats. Plus, seasonal scarisodes from Kiff, Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends, Pupstruction and Hailey’s On It!; shorts from ZOMBIES: The-Re Animated Series Shorts, Meet Spidey and His Amazing Friends, Minnie’s Bow-Toons: Camp Minnie, Me & Mickeyand more.
Check out all the animated highlights below:
ZOMBIES: THE RE-ANIMATED SERIES SHORTS – “Coach’s Cat” (Disney)
Disney Channel
ZOMBIES: The-Re Animated Series Shorts “Suddenly Seabrook” | Now available on Disney Channel YouTube and DisneyNOW
Addison, Zed and Eliza accidentally turn a carnivorous plant into a ferocious two-headed monster that wants to eat Bucky and the rest of the crew.
ZOMBIES: The-Re Animated Series Shorts “Coach’s Cat” | Friday, September 15 on Disney Channel YouTube and DisneyNOW; Saturday, September 16 on Disney Channel at 7:57 p.m. EDT
Zed and his friends try to get out of taking the state fitness test in P.E., but Coach and his mysterious pet have other plans.
ZOMBIES: The-Re Animated Series Shorts “Robot Space Bear” | Friday, September 22 on Disney Channel YouTube and DisneyNOW; Saturday, September 23 on Disney Channel at 7:57 p.m. EDT
A sci-fi robot bear has Zed and Addison cornered. The duo must decide to befriend or fight it, and whether to call it Robot Space Bear or Space Bear Robot.
KIFF – “Trevor’s Rockin Halloween Bash” (Disney)
KIFF – “Trevor’s Rockin Halloween Bash” (Disney)
Kiff “Trevor’s Rockin Halloween Bash” | Friday, September on Disney Channel and Disney XD at 8:00 p.m. EDT; Wednesday, October 4 on Disney+
Kiff is ready to have a spooky Halloween, but Barry gets scared easily.
HAILEY’S ON IT! – “The A-maize-ing Maze” (Disney)
Hailey’s On It! “Beta’s Gonna Hate/The A-maize-ing Maze” | Friday, September 29 on Disney Channel and Disney XD at 8:30p.m. EDT; Wednesday, October 4, on Disney+
“Beta’s Gonna Hate” — Beta suspects that a cleaning robot is actually a chaos bot spy, but Hailey and Scott aren’t so sure.
“The A-maize-ing Maze” — Hailey and Beta ditch Scott to complete a complicated corn maze, but quickly regret it when they become very lost.
ZOMBIES: THE RE-ANIMATED SERIES SHORTS – “Wynter Transport” (Disney)
ZOMBIES: The-Re Animated Series Shorts “Wynter Transport” | Friday, September 29 on Disney Channel YouTube and DisneyNOW; Saturday, September. 30 on
Disney Channel at 7:57 p.m. EDT
Wynter uses Eliza’s matter transporter to teleport home and retrieve an assignment, but when she returns, her friends discover that she has somehow mutated into a giant cricket.
MICKEY MOUSE FUNHOUSE – “The Curious Case of the Kooky Scientist” (Disney)
Disney Junior
Me & Mickey “Halloween Train Ride” | Monday, September 25 at 7:25 a.m. EDT on Disney Channel and 11:25 a.m. EDT on Disney Junior
Join Mickey on his spooky Halloween train.
Mickey Mouse Funhouse “The Curious Case of the Kooky Scientist” | Tuesday, September 26 on Disney Channel at 10:00 a.m. EDT and on Disney Junior at 7:00 p.m. EDT
Mickey and the gang are off to Halloweenville to see kooky scientist Von Drake’s newest
invention.
MARVEL’S SPIDEY AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS – “Too Many Tricks, Not Enough Treats” (Marvel)
Meet Spidey and His Amazing Friends “Tricks for You, Treats For Me” | Friday, September 29 on Disney Junior and Disney Channel
Zola decides to steal all of the Halloween candy for himself by zapping parents into pumpkins.
Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends “Bootsie’s Haunted Adventure / Too Many Tricks, Not Enough Treats” | Friday, September 29 on Disney Channel at 8:30 a.m. EDT and on Disney Junior at 7:00 p.m. EDT
“Bootsie’s Haunted Adventure” — With help from Bootsie, Team Spidey must foil Sandman’s theft of priceless Egyptian artifacts.
“Too Many Tricks, Not Enough Treats” — Team Spidey must save Halloween from Green Goblin and his candy stealing scarecrows.
SUPERKITTIES – “Howloween Cat” (Disney)
SuperKitties “Howloween Cat” 22-Minute Episode | Monday, September 25 on Disney Junior at 7:00 p.m. EDT; Friday, September 29 on Disney Channel at 9:00 a.m. EDT
When the pets’ Howloween treats go missing all over Kittydale, the SuperKitties must track down the thief, even if it turns out to be the spooky Howloween Cat that Bitsy fears.
Pupstruction “Happy Howl-o-ween / The House of Howls” | Wednesday, September 27 on Disney Junior at 7:00-p.m. EDT; Friday, September 29 on Disney
Channel at 8:00 a.m. EDT
“Happy Howl-o-ween” — Bobby Boots thinks he wasn’t invited to Pupstruction’s Howl-O-Ween party.
“The House of Howls” — Tank doesn’t think he’s brave enough to help build a haunted house, but his friends are trapped!
Alice’s Wonderland Bakery “A Hare Raising Halloween” | Saturday, September 30 on Disney Junior at 7:00 p.m. EDT
Alice and her friends help Fergie overcome his Halloween jitters at the Hearts Palace celebration.
Minnie’s Bow-Toons: Camp Minnie “Camp Spooky” | Sunday, October 1 on Disney Junior at 7:25 p.m. EDT
Minnie and the campers get a fright when something goes bump in the woods on Halloween night.
Mickey and Friends Trick or Treats
Mickey and Friends Trick or Treats Stop-Motion Halloween Special | Sunday, October 1 Simulcast on Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD at 7:00 p.m. EDT; Monday, October 2, on Disney+
Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Daisy are trick-or-treating when Donald spies the spookiest mansion he’s ever seen and assumes it has the best treats. After he convinces his friends to risk a visit, the owner Witch Hazel casts a spell which turns them into their costumes.
The special is a collaboration between Disney and Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, directed by David H. Brooks (Mickey Saves Christmas) with original music by Beau Black (Mickey Mouse Funhouse).
Me & Mickey “Trick or Treat Story” | Monday, October 2 at 7:25 a.m. PDT/EDT on Disney Channel and 11:25 a.m. EDT on Disney Junior
Minnie shares a trick or treat story.
Mickey Mouse FUnhouse
Mickey Mouse Funhouse “Stink, Stank, Stunk” | Friday, October 6 on Disney Channel at 10:00 a.m. EDT and Disney Junior at 12:05 p.m. EDT
When Mickey and the gang try to rid Majestica of a mysterious smell, they discover the Grand Pumpkin must be returned to Halloweenville before it rots away.
Me & Mickey “Mickey’s Favorite Halloween Moments” | Monday, October 9 at 7:25 a.m. EDT on Disney Channel and 11:25 a.m. EDT on Disney
Junior
Mickey shares his favorite Halloween moments.
Mickey Mouse Funhouse “Mayor Franken-Pete’s Very Bad Day” | Friday, October 27 on Disney Channel at 10:00 a.m. EDT and Disney Junior at 12:05 p.m. EDT
Mickey, Minnie and friends help Mayor Franken-Pete of Halloweenville feel better by using a Calm Down Plan.
ZOMBIES: THE RE-ANIMATED SERIES SHORTS – “I Think We’re a Clone Now” (Disney)
This October, in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Goku and his friends return to the big screen to save Earth in one of the most epic battles of the Dragon Ball franchise. Toei Animation and Fathom Events today announced plans to re-release the film as a special two-day event on October 17 & 18 in theaters across the United States. Fans can join in the celebration in more than 800 theaters through Fathom Events (check local listings).
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods is an original work from Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, who penned the story, screenplay and character designs for the movie. It premiered in Japan in 2013 and, at the time, was the first new feature film in 17 years for the franchise. For this special event — and for the first time ever in U.S. theaters — moviegoers will be able to watch the extended edition cut (105-minute length version) of the film, which will be presented in English dub on both days.
Dragon Ball began in 1984 when Toriyama’s manga premiered in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump, becoming a top-ranked title throughout its 10 and a half years of publication. Since then, the manga’s popularity has continued to grow with a record of 260 million copies sold worldwide and counting. The Dragon Ball phenomenon has expanded beyond manga to include TV animation, movies, games and merchandising.
Film Synopsis: Following the events from the Dragon Ball Z television series, after the defeat of Majin Buu, a new power awakens and threatens humanity. Beerus, an ancient and powerful God of Destruction, searches for Goku after hearing rumors of the Saiyan warrior who defeated Frieza. Realizing the threat Beerus poses to their home planet, the Z-Fighters must find a way to stop him before it’s too late. Only Goku, humanity’s last hope, can ascend to the level of a legendary Super Saiyan God and stop Beerus from destroying Earth, and possibly the entire universe!
Tickets for the Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods 10th Anniversary theatrical event are on sale now and available at FathomEvents.com, with a complete list of theater locations (subject to change).Tickets can also be purchased through participating theater box offices.
Two of Ireland-based animation houses, Lighthouse Studios (The Bob’s Burgers Movie, The Cuphead Show!, El Deafo, Little Ellen) and Dog Ears (Puffin Rock and the New Friends, Saturday Club) are partnering to co-produce an all-new animated adventure series for kids ages 5-7, dubbed Stage Struck!
Creatures large and small — including Coco the crocodile and her friends — are welcomed to Showtime School, founded by the much-loved Miss Feathers. At Showtime School, everyday classes present extraordinary performance challenges! In classrooms full of pianos and crash-mats, even the ‘normal’ subjects have a theatrical spin — from the history of puppetry to the science of sound waves! Showtime’s students get a taste of music, movement and razzle-dazzle from all over the world — drumming circles, beat-boxing, fox-trotting, monologues, card tricks, Beatniks and up-tempo Bhangra. Every day is a creative adventure!
“We are excited to work with the immense talent of Dog Ears to create this effervescent series that introduces kids to the performing arts from around the world,” said Claire Finn, Managing Director, Lighthouse Studios. “It promises to not only entertain but inspire creativity, and we look forward to introducing Stage Struck! to our industry at Cartoon Forum and MIPJunior.”
Stage Struck!
Dog Ears’ Creative Director John McDaid noted, “With Stage Struck!, we are on a mission to spark a keen interest among children worldwide with all types of performing arts, which will hopefully encourage a love and passion for creativity in their years to come. We look forward to working with Claire, Gilly and the Lighthouse team, as well as our own amazing in-house talents to deliver a wonderful new series.”
The 52 x 11’ series, which is based on Tor Freeman’s book Showtime for Billie and Coco, is to be directed by Lighthouse Studios’ award-winning Head Creative Gilly Fogg (El Deafo, Bug Diaries), with a screenplay by Sian Ní Mhuirí (Royals Next Door). Lighthouse Studios’ Finn serves as executive producer with Dog Ears’ McDaid as co-producer.
“Everyone remembers the first time they stepped on stage to deliver their line in a school concert. Sian, Claire and I have all worked in the theater, and we know from experience that the performing arts can play a transformative role in a child’s life,” added Fogg. “Tor Freeman’s world of Showtime School is full of humor and kindness, and I’m excited that kids everywhere will see the fun and friendship of the performing arts in Stage Struck!”
Max has released the official trailer for the original animated series Young Love, debuting with four episodes Thursday, September 21 on Max. The 12-episode season continues with four episodes weekly, leading up to the season finale on Thursday, October 5.
Synopsis: Expanding on the Academy Award-winning short Hair Love, from creator Matthew A. Cherry and Sony Pictures Animation, Young Love gives an honest, heartfelt and comedic glimpse into the lives of African American millennial parents Stephen Love and Angela Young as they experience the relatable ups and downs of modern life.
In remission following a battle with cancer, Angela struggles to balance her work as a stylist with the demands of parenthood, while Stephen attempts to carve out a career as a musician in an ultra-competitive industry. Along with their fearless daughter Zuri, this tight-knit Chicago family juggles careers, marriage, parenthood, social issues and multi-generational dynamics while striving to make a better life for themselves.
(L-R) Gigi (Loretta Devine), Russell (Harry Lennix), Stephen (Scott Mescudi), Angela (Issa Rae) and Zuri (Booke Monroe Conaway) in ‘Young Love’
The voice cast features Scott Mescudi (a.k.a. Kid Cudi) as Stephen Love, Issa Rae as Angela Young, Brooke Monroe Conaway as Zuri Young Love, Loretta Devine as Gigi Young, Harry Lennix as Russell Young, Tamar Braxton as Star, Sheryl Lee Ralph as Sheree, Debra Wilson providing additional voices, and others.
Executive producers are Matthew A. Cherry, Monica A. Young (Blue Key Entertainment), Karen Rupert Toliver, Carl Jones, David Steward II (Lion Forge Animation) and Carl Reed; Karen Malach is producer. Young Love is Produced in partnership with Sony Pictures Animation. Cherry is also showrunner alongside Jones (The Boondocks, Black Dynamite).
Pick up the November ’23 issue of Animation Magazine to read more about the making of Young Love, available soon.
ASIFA-Hollywood announced its Call for Entries today for the 51st Annie Awards™ set for Saturday, February 17, 2024 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Honoring excellence in the field of animation, the Awards will cover 37 categories across feature film, shorts, student work, TV, commissioned and more, along with Achievement and Honorary awards.
“Last year’s 50th anniversary was quite a milestone for the Annie Awards, ASIFA-Hollywood and the worldwide animation community,” says Frank Gladstone, ASIFA-Hollywood’s executive director. “As we begin our second half-century committed to continued growth and support for our art and, most especially our people, we can look back on how far we’ve come and how much our industry has changed, but it is even more important to look ahead to the endless possibilities we can expect going forward.”
To review this year’s rules and submit your projects, please visit annieawards.org. Entries submitted for consideration will be from animated productions that were released in the United States between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023. Exceptions are short subjects, special projects, sponsored productions, student films and grand prize winners from Annie Award qualifying festivals.
To encourage early submissions, ASIFA-Hollywood has designed a tiered submission fee plan:
Early Submission: $150 (September 11 thru October 16)
Standard Submission:$200 (October 17 thru November 13)
Final Submission: $275 (November 14 thru December 8)
Important deadlines:
The deadline to become an Annie Awards Sponsor is Saturday, January 20, 2024.
The deadline to join ASIFA-Hollywood or to renew membership, and to submit voting applications to participate in voting is Saturday, December 31, 2023,
11:59:59 p.m., PST.
Now through October 9, ASIFA-Hollywood is also conducting its Call for Judges. All judges, whether they have applied in the past or are enrolling for the first time, will need to submit a new application. To be considered for a nominating committee, judges do not need to be a member of ASIFA-Hollywood but must have an established career in animation and exemplary professional credentials in at least one of the Annie Award categories. The application is available at members.asifa-hollywood.org/judge-application.
The British Animation Awards (BAAs) officially open for entries at today with the announcement of a brand-new category for Best International Animated Series. In another move that reflects the growth in longer formats, there will be separate awards for Best Long Form Animation and Best Feature Film.
“The BAAs are delighted to return in 2024 to celebrate and showcase the outstanding achievements the U.K. industry has created over the last couple of years,” said BAA director Helen Brunsdon. “By introducing the new Best International Animated Series category, we recognize the great collaborations of co-productions and partnerships between U.K. producers and international studios.”
For the Best International Animated Series Award, U.K. companies and individuals are invited to enter a single episode (one episode) from an animated series produced in an international co-production arrangement. The BAAs welcome productions that have been majority-produced outside the U.K.
MIA director Gaia TridenteMIA (Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo / International Audiovisual Market) returns to Rome with its 9th edition October 9-13 (miamarket.it), complemented by the MIA Digital platform which allows registered attendees, in person and remote, to access all sessions live and on demand. The event, which is lead by director Gaia Tridente, has announced the first three speakers who will present key sessions at MIA 2023:
Nicole Clemens, President of Paramount Television Studios and Paramount+ Original Scripted Series. Clemens oversees a robust slate of shows for buyers across multiple platforms; upcoming productions include Taika Waititi’s Time Bandits (Apple TV+). Clemens ran point on the Paramount+ original scripted series, shepherding global hit series such as Halo and the Star Trek franchises. Clemens will speak about her career and Paramount’s strategic production worldwide.
Sara Bernstein, an award-winning producer and President of Imagine Documentaries (founded by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard). She leads the development and production of premium documentary feature films and series. Bernstein will give a keynote on her career, during which she has garnered 11 Emmy wins, 33 Emmy nominations and 11 Peabody Awards, and the documentary features she has supervised have garnered two Oscars and 13 Oscar nominations.
Marge Dean, Head of Skybound Entertainment’s Animation Studio, Emmy-winning animation industry veteran and President of Women In Animation, will keynote on the development and production of adult and teen animated content, including Invincible for Prime Video. Known for building both studios and animation pipelines, Dean has played a major role in shaping or reshaping entities including Columbia-TriStar TV, Warner Bros. Animation, Mattel’s Playground Production, Steve Oedekerk’s Omation, Technicolor Animation and Wildbrain Entertainment. Before joining Skybound, she served as Head of Studio at the preeminent anime distributor, Crunchyroll.
Additional names announced for MIA talks include Ari Folman, the award-winning screenwriter, director, producer and animator, known for Waltz With Bashir (Golden Globe award for best foreign language film in 2009), The Congress and Where Is Anne Frank.
Further cross-pollinating the brands under Mickey’s purview, ESPN, The Walt Disney Company and the National Football League have collaborated on a first-of-its-kind NFL game presentation: Toy Story Funday Football , which will bring the Atlanta Falcons vs. Jacksonville Jaguars action into the animated world of Pixar’s Toy Story in real time.
Fans can tune in Sunday morning, October 1, at 9:30 a.m. ET, on Disney+, ESPN+ and on mobile with NFL+ when the action of Wembley Stadium in London (host of NFL International Series game) is recreated simultaneously in Andy’s room, from the groundbreaking movie franchise.
Andy’s room will replicate the on-the-field gameplay from Wembley, where each Falcon and Jaguar player will have animated representation on a traditional looking field, catered to the Toy Story setting. The football action will come to animated life through state-of-the-art tracking technology enabled by the NFL’s Next Gen Stats player tracking data and Beyond Sports.
In addition to the gameplay, all the surrounding aspects of the game will all embrace the theme in their packaging and delivery, all occurring in Andy’s room. Plus, Woody, Buzz and many other characters from the film franchise will be visible throughout, participating from the sidelines and in other non-gameplay elements.
Andy’s room set up for ‘Toy Story Funday Football’
Announcers Drew Carter (play-by-play), Booger McFarland (analyst) and 12-year old Pepper Persley (reporter) will commentate, with all three fully animated and their body movements translate to screens through motion-capture technology. Joining Woody and Buzz will be other familiar faces from Toy Story, including Bo Peep, Bullseye, Bunny, Ducky, Forky, the Green Aliens, Jesse, Rex and Slinky Dog. The streaming event will also feature a special halftime show featuring Toy Story daredevil Duke Caboom attempting a motorcycle jump.
The program will also include demonstrations, including ‘how to’ videos, trivia and more throughout the telecast to teach the game of football to the audience. Plus, real-life Falcons and Jaguar players will also contribute through pre-recorded segments and interviews.
Toy Story Funday Football is made possible by ESPN, ESPN’s Edge Innovation Center, Disney, NFL, Pixar, Next Gen Stats, Beyond Sports and Silver Spoon.
In the United States, Toy Story Funday Football will be available live on Disney+ and ESPN+, with replay available shortly after the game ends on Disney+ and NFL+ for a limited time. Globally, the special presentation will be available in over 95 markets live and/or replay, spanning five continents including in Brazil, U.K., Mexico and France. Video on Demand will also be available in these and other markets 24 hours after the live broadcast ends.
Veteran animator, author & educator Tony White is seeking to keep traditional 2D animation relevant in this increasingly technological world — especially as the industry faces the rising tide of AI. To counter a complete wipeout, White is pouring all his knowledge, teaching and classroom material — as well as those of his contemporaries — into a single phone app that will equip artists with what they need to create classic animated movement, regardless of the styles or technologies used to create it: DRAWtastic!
Tony White and Richard Williams
White began his 50-plus year, award-winning career working under great animation luminaries: He was Richard Williams’ personal apprentice on the Oscar-winning A Christmas Carol TV special. Then, during his five-and-a-half-year stint at Williams’ London studio, he was specifically assigned to apprentice with Ken Harris, the legendary Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner animator from the golden age, to discover the secrets of Warner Bros. animation and share them with the other animators in the studio. At the same time, White studied extensively with Disney Legend animator Art Babbitt (Pinocchio,Fantasia).
“As I witness my teachers and contemporaries rapidly dropping away from this world, with their vast reservoirs of knowledge and experience going with them,” says White, “I suddenly realized that I somehow needed to capture this genie into a bottle. So, I decided to try to put everything I knew, and could still access elsewhere, into a single phone app while I’m still able to. In this way, the DRAWtastic! educational app will become a digital ‘university,’ ‘museum’ and ‘screening platform’ for the animators of today and tomorrow — 2D or otherwise. Technology, tastes and styles may change with time, but the underlying principles of movement, weight, timing and aesthetic staging will never change. These can then be applied to every form of animation — raising the bar of its expression to the very next level.”
White has created a beta version of his educational app, which is currently available for free in the Apple App Store, coming soon to the Google Play Store for Android. The DRAWtastic! beta contains several free items that can be instantly accessed, including the “2023 DRAWtastic Animation Festival award-winning show,” a potted “History of Animation” that White created for one of his short courses, his monthly “Animation Sketchclub” drawing/animation challenges, as well as a comprehensive list of “2D Animation Equipment.” There are two affordable courses on the app, too — a beginner’s course in animation for youngsters, “Learning Animation with Flipbooks” and a short course on social media animation, “Short Shorts,” that White once taught online.
Proposed courses to be added to DRAWtastic! app.
With over 100 hours of recorded classroom teaching — plus many other courses, interviews and mentoring options (of his own and other people’s) waiting in the wings — White is seeking funding to further build up the app and add this material. The 2D evangelist has launched an Indiegogo campaign and is inviting industry partners (individuals or companies) to sponsor a specific course — or the entire collection of app courses, giving them a significant presence throughout in the process.
“I already have at least 10 more amazing courses and featured items that need to be added to the app, to make it the most comprehensive, yet affordable, source of 2D animation knowledge there has ever been. But I can’t do it alone,” White concludes. “At the same time, I feel I owe it to the great elders of the industry in the past who taught me so well at the beginning of my career. Now I want to give the elders of the present a voice — before it’s too late — so that all our knowledge, experience and expertise will not be lost forever.”
The DRAWtastic! educational app’s Indiegogo campaign can be found at indiegogo.com/projects/drawtastic. There, supporters will be able to see the supporter perks on offer as well as further details on how course sponsorship can work for industry backers.
Follow White’s Pencils to Pixels YouTube channel for updates about DRAWtastic! and other animation projects. Additional details about the app and the DRAWtastic Animation Festival available at drawtastic.org.
The longest-running primetime scripted show in television history is ready to set another milestone this fall with the debut of its ding-dang-doodly 35th season! FOX today dropped the official, extended season trailer, slingshotting fans through a kaleidoscope of Springfieldian vignettes that promise more of the gags, zingers and incredulous situations that have carried America’s favorite yellow family through all these years.
This season, Marge (Julie Kavner) experiences a series of nightmares about young Bart’s (Nancy Cartwright) childhood coming to an end; Homer (Dan Castellaneta) accidentally volunteers for a school crossing guard position; 60 years in the future, Lisa (Yeardley Smith) recounts the story of how Homer was scapegoated for a power outage that plunged Springfield into darkness days before Thanksgiving; and the annual chilling trilogy “Treehouse of Horror XXXIV” is back!
Here’s the logline for the season premiere episode:
Feeling worthless at work, Homer volunteers to be a school crossing guard. But when his safety squad receives too much funding, the crossing guards become a force to be feared in the all-new “Homer’s Crossing” episode of The Simpsons airing Sunday, October 1 (8:00-8:31 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
The Simpsons debuted on FOX in 1990, quickly becoming a pop culture phenomenon and a powerhouse global entertainment franchises. The Emmy Award-, Annie Award- and Peabody Award-winning animated comedy aired its 750th episode ahead of the 35th season this fall.
The series is a Gracie Films Production in association with 20th Television. James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Matt Selman and Al Jean are the executive producers. The Gracie Films Worldwide Brand Division develops and produces the licensed content for the series. The series also features the voices of Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer as a number of regular characters.
Montreal- and Madrid-based international sales and distribution company Pink Parrot Media’s (PPM) 3D animated family feature Butterfly Tale will be showcased in the 270-degree panoramic ScreenX format, thanks to a new partnership between co-producer CarpeDiem and global premium film format and cinema tech outftit CJ 4DPLEX. This will mark the first time an animated Canadian film has been released in ScreenX and the first 3D animated feature worldwide to be produced in the format from the pre-production stage.
“Since we are the first in Canada to ever make an animated ScreenX film, we had to do a lot of research and development,” notes director Sophie Roy. “We discovered that our biggest challenges were in the camera work and lighting. Keeping the horizon equal throughout the three screens when the camera tilts was especially difficult and matching the light direction on all three screens took some serious work to make it all look seamless, a real challenge, but the results exceeded our expectations.”
Co-produced by Canada’s CarpeDiem (Snowtime!, Racetime) and Germany’s Ulysses Filmproduktion (Ooops! Noah Is Gone, The Amazing Maurice), Butterfly Tale is scheduled to be released by Vortex and Maison 4:3 in Canada on 13 October. Pink Parrot Media is currently presenting the film at the 48th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival.
ScreenX is billed as the world’s first multi-projection theater technology that allows a 270-degree panoramic movie-watching experience. ScreenX uses a proprietary system to expand specially selected sequences of the film onto the left and right-side walls of the auditorium. The format surrounds audiences with exclusive story-enhancing imagery that naturally fills their peripheral vision and immerses them into the narrative of the film.
“The expansive and beautiful environment of Butterfly Tale lends itself perfectly to the ScreenX format, with the extra screens being the ideal opportunity for us to build out the magical world of Patrick’s heroic journey,” says producer Marie-Claude Beauchamp, President of CarpeDiem. “For the ScreenX experience, we’ve produced brand new original material that will really enhance the viewing experience and create a true cinematic experience for families around the world to enjoy together.”
Jong Ryul Kim, CEO of CJ 4DPLEX, adds, “Working with the Butterfly Tale team from pre-production till release is a special benchmark for us as ScreenX expands its content offerings into animated content. I believe this is a true testament to the collaborative power of our ScreenX production with animation studios, which showcases how we can provide unparalleled experiences to an increasingly discerning global audience. We will continue to work with such excellent studios to provide the most immersive ways to watch animated films on the big screen.”
‘Butterfly Tale’ on ScreenX
Synopsis:Butterfly Tale is an animated feature film for the whole family set along the diverse, picturesque and ever-changing backdrop of the great Monarch butterfly migration. A heart-warming tale of a gutsy and loveable yet inept, one-winged butterfly, named Patrick who stows away in a milkweed trailer in order to be part of the journey of a lifetime. With his best friend, a goofy caterpillar named Marty, and Jennifer, a butterfly who is afraid of heights, Patrick will become an unlikely hero. But first he must face his fear, embrace his uniqueness and triumph over adversity while battling changing weather patterns, humans and three evil birds bent on revenge. It is a tale of adventure, self-realization and heroism told with humor whose message is that our differences are less important than the bonds we share, and it is in adversity that our true character shines through.
Butterfly Tale is helmed by first-time film director Sophie Roy, written by Heidi Foss (Pup Academy) and Lienne Sawatsky (Wishfart), and produced by Marie-Claude Beauchamp for CarpeDiem and Emely Christians for Ulysses. The lead characters are voiced by Tatiana Maslany (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law) as Jennifer and Mena Massoud (Aladdin, 2019) as Patrick. The soundtrack, produced by Blu Dog, will include “Something Big” performed by Shawn Mendes, courtesy of Island Records, under license from Universal Music Canada Inc.
Pink Parrot Media has secured an additional raft of previously announced international distribution deals for Butterfly Tale, including: Wildbunch (Germany and France), Monolith (Poland), Front Row (Middle East), Filmart (Turkey), Mis Label (Scandinavia), Just Ent
(Benelux), Pro Film (Bulgaria), Blitz (Former Yugoslavia), Flins&Piniculas (Spain), Forefront Media (South Africa) and Top Film (CIS and Baltics).
The Walt Disney Studios welcomed fans this weekend to Destination D23 — a three-day event at Walt Disney World Resort this weekend celebrating all things Disney — with a special showcase that offered moviegoers an insider’s look at the studio’s upcoming slate. Presented by Lug, Destination D23 welcomed fans to Central Florida to celebrate alongside the studios as Disney marks 100 years of sharing beloved movies, series and shorts. Attendees to the sold-out event heard from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Lucasfilm, Disney Live Action, Pixar Animation Studios and Marvel Studios.
Here’s a rundown of the animated highlights:
Clark Spencer, two-time Academy Award-winning producer and President of Walt Disney Animation Studios, kicked off the presentation reminding the audience that the studio will mark 100 years on October 16, 2023.
“For several years now, everyone at the studio has been dreaming about this incredible milestone,” said Spencer. “There were great conversations around what we could create that would both pay tribute to the artists who came before us and to thank everyone who has connected with our films over the past century.” The executive shared two upcoming projects with the audience that were born of this inspiration.
Once Upon a Studio – Directors Dan Abraham and Trent Correy introduced fans to the new hand-drawn and CG-animated short that features an all-star ensemble of beloved Disney Animation characters who come together for a spectacular group photo in an entertaining and emotional nod to the hundred-year milestone. The Studio Showcase audience became the first in the U.S. to see the short that offers a special look inside the studio where the magic happens.
Wish – Directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn shared details about Disney Animation’s 62nd feature, an all-new original musical adventure that centers on one core belief: There is no greater power in the universe than someone with a true wish in their heart.
Opening in U.S. theaters on November 22, Wish takes place once upon a time in Rosas — a fantastical, fictional island where wishes can literally and magically come true. When Asha (Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose), a sharp-witted idealist, learns a hard truth, she makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force — a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star confront a most formidable foe — the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico (Chris Pine) — to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen. Alan Tudyk voices Asha’s pet goat, Valentino.
Asha, who will soon be coming to EPCOT, Disneyland Resort and Disneyland Paris, joined Buck and Veerasunthorn on stage. The excitement was amplified when filmmakers surprised fans with 10 minutes of footage from the film that included two of the seven all-new original songs penned by Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Julia Michaels and Grammy-winning producer/songwriter/musician Benjamin Rice.
Disney and Pixar’s Elemental director Peter Sohn appeared virtually, reminding the audience of last week’s news that the fiery young woman Ember (Leah Lewis) and go-with-the-flow guy Wade (Mamoudou Athie) from the original feature film are heading to Disney+ beginning September 13 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on September 26. Having opened in theaters this summer, Elemental is among 2023’s top 15 highest-grossing films worldwide, earning more than $480 million in global box office to date.
Good Chemistry: The Story of Elemental, which also hits Disney+ September 13, takes viewers on a humorous personal journey through the inspiration behind the movie. Sohn shared a clip of the documentary, which traces his parents’ voyage from Korea to New York, explores his dad’s former grocery shop in the heart of the Bronx, and delves into his choice of a career in animation, rather than the family business.
Marvel Studios’ presentation began with a sweet treat from the beloved troublemaking twig, Baby Groot, who returned to Disney+ September 6 with five new episodes of I Am Groot. The tree of few words explores the universe beyond the Guardians’ spaceships, coming face-to-face — or nose-to-nose (he gets a nose in Episode 2) — with new and colorful creatures and environments. Attendees watched Episode 4, “Groot’s Sweet Treat,” in which he scours the ship for coins as an intergalactic ice cream truck approaches. Audience members aptly received a dining card redeemable for a Mickey Mouse ice cream bar
The Walt Disney Company also announced today the release of the Disney Legacy Animated Film Collection, featuring 100 animated films from Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar, packaged together in a hardbound, self-standing three-volume set that unfolds into a storybook.
As part of Disney’s 100th anniversary celebration, a limited number of sets will be available for pre-order only on Walmart.com beginning September 18, each including a numbered certificate of authenticity. The sets will be released on November 14.
The set includes 100 animated titles on Blu-ray, digital codes for each title, features the original theatrical poster art, a collectible lithograph from Disney Animation’s all-new musical comedy Wish and a collectible crystal Mickey ears hat with exclusive Disney 100 engraving.
This special collection features a stunning array of Disney Animation and Pixar classics including Bambi, Sleeping Beauty, The Lion King, Toy Story, Frozen and Encanto. Select Pixar titles also includes a bonus disc of extras.
Included in the set are:
1. Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (1937)
2. Pinocchio (1940)
3. Fantasia (1940)
4. Dumbo (1941)
5. Bambi (1942)
6. Saludos Amigos (1943)
7. The Three Caballeros (1945)
8. Make Mine Music (1946)
9. Fun And Fancy Free (1947)
10. Melody Time (1948)
11. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
12. Cinderella (1950)
13. Alice in Wonderland (1951)
14. Peter Pan (1953)
15. Lady and the Tramp (1955)
16. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
17. One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
18. The Sword in the Stone (1963)
19. The Jungle Book (1967)
20. The Aristocats (1970)
21. Robin Hood (1973)
22. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
23. The Rescuers (1977)
24. The Fox and The Hound (1981)
25. The Black Cauldron (1985)
26. The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
27. Oliver & Company (1988)
28. The Little Mermaid (1989)
29. The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
30. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
31. Aladdin (1992)
32. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
33. The Lion King (1994)
34. A Goofy Movie (1995)
35. Pocahontas (1995)
36. Toy Story (1995)
37. James and the Giant Peach (1996)
38. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
39. Hercules (1997)
40. Mulan (1998)
41. A Bug’s Life (1998)
42. Tarzan (1999)
43. Toy Story 2 (1999)
44. Fantasia/2000 (2000)
45. The Tigger Movie (2000)
46. Dinosaur (2000)
47. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
48. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
49. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
50. Return to Never Land (2002)
51. Lilo & Stitch (2002)
52. Treasure Planet (2002)
53. The Jungle Book 2 (2003)
54. Piglet’s Big Movie (2003)
55. Finding Nemo (2003)
56. Brother Bear (2003)
57. Home on the Range (2004)
58. The Incredibles (2004)
59. Pooh’s Heffalump Movie (2005)
60. Chicken Little (2005)
61. Cars (2006)
62. Meet the Robinsons (2007)
63. Ratatouille (2007)
64. Wall•E (2008)
65. Tinker Bell (2008)
66. Bolt (2008)
67. Up (2009)
68. The Princess and the Frog (2009)
69. Toy Story 3 (2010)
70. Tangled (2010)
71. Cars 2 (2011)
72. Winnie the Pooh (2011)
73. Brave (2012)
74. Frankenweenie (2012)
75. Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
76. Monsters University (2013)
77. Planes (2013)
78. Frozen (2013)
79. Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014)
80. Big Hero 6 (2014)
81. Inside Out (2015)
82. The Good Dinosaur (2015)
83. Zootopia (2016)
84. Finding Dory (2016)
85. Moana (2016)
86. Cars 3 (2017)
87. Coco (2017)
88. Incredibles 2 (2018)
89. Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
90. Toy Story 4 (2019)
91. Frozen 2 (2019)
92. Onward (2020)
93. Soul (2020)
94. Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
95. Luca (2021)
96. Encanto (2021)
97. Turning Red (2022)
98. Lightyear (2022)
99. Strange World (2022)
100. Elemental (2023)
The Destination D23 announcements also covered details on the next D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, which will be bringing an expanded experience to multiple locations across Anaheim, California from August 9-11, 2024. The one-of-a-kind event will celebrate like never before with spectacular shows, new venues and multiple days of entertainment that will bring together the best of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and more.
Highlightswill include:
Sunday, August 4: D23 Day at Angel Stadium, where D23 fans are invited to attend the Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Mets game.
Thursday, August 8: D23 kickoff celebration at Disneyland Resort.
Friday, August 9 – Sunday, August 11: Shopping, exhibits, panels and presentations will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center during the day, with the fun extending into the evening at the Honda Center, the bigger home to marquee shows.
Tickets for D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event will go on sale in Spring 2024, with ticketing options to be announced later for access to the Anaheim Convention Center and the Honda Center. Admission for D23 Day at Angel Stadium and the D23 kickoff celebration at Disneyland Resort will be available as separate ticketed events. Additional details for D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event will be announced in early 2024.
Film London will be diving into the opportunities for U.S. and Canadian studios curious about partnering with the U.K. capital’s animation houses in an informative webinar next week. The two-hour event is free to attend with eTicket, and is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. PST / 12 p.m. EST / 17h BST on Tuesday, September 12.
Session description:
London’s award-winning animation studios continue to deliver world-beating animation. The talent is here with clients ranging from Disney to DreamWorks and productions like Isle of Dogs, Kensuke’s Kingdom, Peppa Pig and Hey Duggee.
We now have an even more competitive tax incentive at 39% that now covers animated features as well as television. To find out how it works and why you should consider working with London on your next project tune into our free webinar.
Hosted by Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London, and produced by Julian Scott, Animation Consultant for Film London, the webinar will feature animation industry experts from both sides of the pond:
Anna Mansi, Head of Certification, BFI (British Film Institute)
Phil Dobree, Founder, Jellyfish Pictures
Chris deFaria, Producer (Tom & Jerry [2021], Coyote vs. Acme)
Julie Zackary, Producer / Head of Production, Annapurna Animation (Nimona)
Reserve a spot in the Film London Animation Webinar (free to attend) here.
With their next painted animation feature film project The Peasants making its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this weekend, directors DK Welchman (previously known as Dorota Kobiela) and Hugh Welchman have unveiled the latest “Directors’ Pick” spotlight piece from their ongoing Loving Vincent painting sale. Taken from the “She was his friend, too,” scene in the 2017 biopic, the hand-painted frame features Chris O’Dowd as Postman Joseph Roulin, painted by Gdansk team painting supervisor Anna Kluza, a lead animator on The Peasants.
The first-ever oil painting animated feature, Loving Vincent follows a young man retracing the final steps of the Vincent Van Gogh. The story begins following the artist’s death, when Roulin asks his son, Armand (Douglas Booth) to deliver Van Gogh’s final letters to his brother in Paris — who sadly has also passed. Armand then travels to the painter’s last hometown, and gets caught up in the mystery surrounding his death.
Originally conceived as a short, the film took nearly 10 years to produce and required 65,000 frames to be hand-painted on canvas by a crew of 125 artists. Loving Vincent premiered at the Annecy Festival and went on to win Best Animation at the European Film Awards, as well as animated feature nominations at the Oscars, BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards and Annies. The reference footage/voice cast also featured Jerome Flynn, Saoirse Ronan, Josh Sessions, Eleanor Tomlinson, Aidan Turner and Helen McCrory in her final film role. Dutch actor Jochum ten Haaf voiced Vincent, who was modeled on Robert Gulaczyk of renowned Modjeska Theatre in Legnica, Poland.
Since the film’s premiere and more urgently in order to create space for the production of The Peasants, the production paintings used in Loving Vincent have been exhibited and are being offered for sale to the public. In the video below, Hugh Welchman explains more about the pre-TIFF Directors’ Pick frame. See all the pieces on offer at LovingVincent.com/Paintings.
Making its World Premiere Friday, September 8 at TIFF, The Peasants is described by the festival programmers thusly:
Told through seasons that honor the cyclical rituals of ploughing, plantation, and harvest, this adaptation of Władysław Reymont’s Nobel Prize–winning novel of the same title (written in four volumes between 1904 and 1909 and translated into 27 languages) recounts the tale of a charming and voluptuous woman named Jagna (Kamila Urzedowska) hungering for love and lacking in cunning. Her home of Lipce, a God-fearing village, is full of characters, including a lecherous mayor, a snooty church organist, and a razor-tongued gossip, and hundreds of storks that, according to lore, foretell the arrival of new life. Here, Jagna creates havoc by marrying a wealthy widower named Boryna (Mirosław Baka), whose children and their families — including the apple of her eye, his brawny son, Antek (Robert Gulaczyk) — work the land and expect inheritance. Jagna’s fate is all but sealed when she breaks one of the few societal taboos.
The adult-targeted film runs 114 minutes and is a co-production effort between Poland, Lithuania and Serbia. Additional screening times and ticketing for TIFF available here.
The original animated adventure, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever, the latest animated movie based on Jeff Kinney’s hit book series, will premiere December 8, exclusively on Disney+. The movie is described as a hilarious and heartfelt holiday tale centered around the disaster-prone middle school student. The first image from the seasonal toon was revealed today, which you can check out below.
Synopsis: The winter holidays are turning out to be especially stressful for Greg Heffley this year. After accidentally damaging a snowplow while making a snowman with best friend Rowley Jefferson, Greg worries he won’t get the new video game console he so desperately wants for Christmas. To make matters worse, he gets snowed in with his family, including his grumpy older brother Rodrick and annoying younger brother Manny.
Directed by Luke Cormican (Teen Titans Go!) and written and produced by Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever features the voices of Wesley Kimmel (The Mandalorian), Erica Cerra (Power Rangers) and Hunter Dillon (Deadpool 2).
To catch the movie’s December premiere, Wimpy Kid fans can take advantage of a limited time subscription offer for the streamer: Through September 20, new and returning customers can subscribe to Disney+ Basic (with ads) for $1.99/month for three months. Details and signup at disneyplus.com.
The 15th edition of Weird Market, the International Animation, Video Games and New Media Market, has announced the 38 short films from 21 countries selected to compete in its WFest festival. A total of 10 domestic and 28 international works will be screened in Valencia, Spain between September 26 and October 1 at the Filmoteca Valenciana, with some of the filmmakers and their technical and creative teams in attendance.
In addition, the creation of a new section (Weird Talent) has been announced, and the 12 companies that will participate in the recruitment day have been confirmed.
The WFest festival, a key part of Weird Market, has selected a total of 10 works for its domestic competition in 2023. Some of them will already be known to the festival audience, such as All Is Lost by Goya nominees Carla Pereira and Juanfran Jacinto, which was screened at the festival last year.
Local talent makes its mark with five Valencian productions: Interns by Marina Donderis, Nuria Poveda and Marina Cortón; Motelli, a Hopeless Catby Ben Fernández; Wooden Mirrorby Sergi Sánchez (co-production with Italy); All Goodby Diana Acién Manzorro; and the above-mentioned All Is Lost.
The list is completed by Conej Steps Outby Pablo Río, Humbug Manor by Juan Carlos Mostaza,Sandwich Cat by David Fidalgo (winner of the Audience Award at the SXSW Festival),To Bird or Not to Birdby Martín Romero and White Noiseby Yuri Rojo.
All Is Lost
The international competition will comprise 28 short films from countries as diverse as Hungary, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Switzerland, Colombia, Ecuador, Portugal, Israel, Japan, South Korea and beyond. The selection showcases a variety of works and techniques; while traditional 2D predominates, productions created in 3D, stop motion or mixed techniques offer an aesthetic snapshot of the current global animation scene.
Themes related to current events are intertwined with productions that take inspiration from other artforms, as in the case of La Notte by Martina Generali (Italy), which is based on Antonio Vivaldi’s concerto of the same name.
The selection combines emerging artists with renowned animators such as Owen Klatte (U.S.), who after working on major titles such as TheNightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach presents his first independent short film, Of Wood. Another outstanding name is Oscar-nominated Koji Yamamura from Japan, producer of The House of Loss, directed by Jinkyu Jeon.
Other works include the Oscar-nominated Ice Merchantsby Portuguese director João Gonzalez and It’s Nice in Here by Robert-Jonathan Koeyers, which participated in the Cannes Festival, and other shorts selected for leading festivals worldwide such as Toronto, Edinburgh, Annecy or Clermont-Ferrand, as well as Spanish pre-selection festivals for the Academy Awards such as Zinebi, Huesca or Sitges.
The House of Loss
In 2023, the cinematographic program of the event is expanded with a new section called Weird Talent. This non-competitive screening is made up of domestic short films that are part of the market and whose directors are considered by the organizers as names worth “keeping on the radar,” in the words of José Luis Farias, director of Weird Market.
Weird Talent includes a total of seven works from emerging creators, students and filmmakers with a proven teaching career. The screening session on Saturday afternoon at La Beneficència will show Catsby José Garnelo, A Booger’s Nightmare by Dani Blanc, Boxfoxby Aurora González Segura, Cade Helenyby Esther Viral,Line 23by Concha Alonso Valdivieso, Carnivorous Women by Mar Torres Gómez and The Sun Thief, a production of L’Idem Creative Arts School made by a group of students as a final project.
Boxfox
As part of Weird Market’s mission to explore each and every one of the creative and production processes of animation and video games, the recruitment day held every year promotes job creation and facilitates meetings between companies and professionals. In 2023, a total of 12 international studios, through their headhunters, will conduct hundreds of interviews to complete their teams.
The companies that have confirmed their attendance during the morning of Thursday, September 28t are:
3 Doubles Producciones
Admirable Films
Hampa Studio
Aupa Studio
TV ON Producciones
Wise Blue Studios
El Ranchito
The Glow Animation Studio
Blu Studio
Illusorium
Alba Sotorra
Studio Kimchi
Candidates interested in taking part in this activity and arrange a job interview must complete registration before September 12 or until full capacity is reached.
The 15th edition of Weird Market is co-organized by the Valencian Institute of Culture, attached to the First Vice-Presidency and Department of Culture and Sports of the Generalitat Valenciana. It also has the main sponsorship of the City Council of Valencia and the Provincial Council of Valencia; the participation of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the IVAM (Valencian Institute of Modern Art), À Punt, HP, and Tenerife Film Commission, among others.
More programming and ticketing information and complete film selections available at weirdmarket.es.
The sensational game world of Magic: The Gathering delivers a new twist on its fairy tale world and a refreshed take on classic characters in Magic: The Gathering – Wilds of Eldraine, out this Friday, September 8.
The much-anticipated game is teased through mini-fantasy trailers exploring some of the most beloved childhood fairy tales. The award-winning creative studio Imaginary Forces created the campaign for Wizards of the Coast, writing the story scripts and translating illustrations into 3D animations styled after paper cut-out techniques.
“Appreciating the imperfections of analog design dioramas, we key-framed paper movement behaviors to inform ways to humanize key characters,” the studio team explained. “Traditional fairy tale elements present itself in our copywriting as well as the music composition with Antfood for a nostalgic touch. Playful color palettes influenced by the world’s wicked slumber, we embark on a twisted adventure that leaves happily ever after in your hands.”
The project was overseen by Imaginary Forces Creative Director Tosh Kodama. The team also included art director Rob Slychuk; creative producer Renee Robson; storyboard artist Gordan Kljucec; illustrators/designers Kim Dulaney, Sarah Orenstein, Bryan Louie and Tim Haldeen; and animators Scott Bell, Merrill Hall, Blake Newton and Paolo Cogliati.
VIEWConference has unveiled its official program for 2023, offering a packed line-up of keynotes, talks, presentations, workshops and masterclasses. The English-speaking event dedicated to animation, visual effects, immersive media and more takes place October 15-20 in the baroque city of Turin, Italy.
The event also offers an array of educational activities, including portfolio reviews, interactive “Ask-Me-Anything” sessions with experienced industry leaders and even mock interviews. Further special industry announcements will be forthcoming.
The full program and tickets for VIEW Conference 2023 — #TheFutureWeWant — are now available from viewconference.it.
Animation luminaries on this year’s special guest list include:
Peter Ramsey – Oscar and BAFTA Award winner, director of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, executive producer of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire.
Andreas Deja – Annie Award winner, creator & director of Mushka.
Mike Lasker – VES Award nominee, VFX supervisor of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse at Sony Pictures Imageworks.
After nearly 30 years, the animated fantasy saga of The Swan Princess concludes its magical tale with The Swan Princess: Far Longer Than Forever. The CG-animated, PG-rated feature film (80 min.) will be available on Digital on September 19, followed by a DVD release on October 24 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Synopsis: Eager to discover the truth about his late father, King Derek and Queen Odette set off on an epic adventure. As newly appointed members of the Council of Crowns, Derek and Odette begin to “smoke out” the true story. But an attempt on their lives drives them undercover, where they pose as the Barrymores, world-famous traveling magicians. With the help of Rogers, Scully and the animals, Derek and Odette piece the mystery together, only to have it all unravel. Will they ever know the truth about King Max?
The final chapter is once again by Richard Rich, who began the series with 1994’s 2D-animated feature, and has also directed Disney’s The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron, the 1999 The King and I animated feature (WB) and several Alpha & Omega sequels. Franchise scribe Brian Nissen penned the screenplay, based on a story by Rich and Nissen. Rich also serves as producer, alongside Seldon O. Young and Jared F. Brown.
The Swan Princess: Longer Than Forever features the voices of Nina Herzog as Odette and Yuri Lowenthal as Derek.
Crunchyroll has big plans for an anime-filled return to New York Comic Con at the Javits Center from October 12-15. The global anime outlet is bringing a supercharged slate of panels on new series, next-level activations, premiere screenings, new merch and more to the East Coast gathering.
On the NYCC itinerary is a top-secret My Hero Academiaspecial screening; Crunchyroll and Toei Animation’s One Piece panel, featuring the English voices behind some of the show’s most popular villains and the debut of a new English dub episode; the U.S. premiere of Dr. STONE Season 3, Part 2; and screenings of episodes of A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special, which includes an exclusive premiere of Episode 3.
The Crunchyroll Store is setting up shop at booth #1653 with 50-plus items, including all-new exclusives:
Attack on Titan-themed watches featuring Eren and Levi
Chainsaw Man Pochita Otaku Lamp
New Trigun Funko Pop featuring Vash and Kuroneko
Sailor Moon Glitter Version FiGPiN.
After shopping, attendees can snap pics at digital kiosks featuring hit anime, including One Piece, My Hero Academia, GOBLIN SLAYER II and more.
At Crunchyroll’s second booth (#1643), fans can pick up JUJUTSU KAISEN photo cards, grab posters for both Solo Leveling and A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special, and get tatted with temporary After-school Hanako-kun tattoos. Swag in hand, fans are invited to enter The JUJUTSU KAISEN Experience, where they will find themselves immersed in the world of the hit dark fantasy series.
Panels & Screenings
DR. STONE Season 3 (Part 2) North American Premiere, Presented by Crunchyroll
Thursday, October 12 | 2:45 p.m. ET
Javits Center – Main Stage
Be among the first in North America to see Dr. STONE Season 3’s return with the first two episodes of its Part 2 (episodes 12 & 13) at this exclusive event introduced by Aaron Dismuke, the English voice of Senku!
World Building and Beyond: Sci-Fi & Fantasy in Hollywood
Thursday, October 12 | 3:00 p.m. ET
Javits Center – Room 408
Hear from some of the most exciting creators, writers and producers in sci-fi and fantasy about the state of these genres, and their predictions for world-building in comics, literature, TV and film. How can sci-fi and fantasy break stereotypes, build immersive worlds, and grow fandoms bringing these genres to screens.
Moderator: Journalist Rosie Knight
Panelist: Pres. of Wattpad WEBTOON Studios Aron Levitz, Executive Editor of VIZ Originals for VIZ Media Fawn Lau and an executive from Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll Industry Panel
Friday, October 13 | 3:00 p.m. ET
Javits Center – Room 405
Hear about all the latest and greatest anime coming out of Crunchyroll straight from the source!
Host: Crunchyroll’s Lauren Moore and Tim Lyu
My Hero Academia Special Screening Event
Friday, October 13 | 5:00 p.m. ET
Javits Center – Empire Stage
Join Crunchyroll for a screening featuring special English dubbed content from My Hero Academia!
A Rerturner’s Magic Should Be Special Premiere Episodes 1-3, Presented by Crunchyroll
Saturday, October 14 | 6:00 p.m. ET
Javits Center – Room 409
Be among the first to watch A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special Episodes 1-3 at this exclusive premiere!
One Piece Dub Villains Panel
Saturday, October 14 | 6:30 p.m. ET
Javits Center – Main Stage
Join Crunchyroll and Toei Animation for an early One Piece dub episode premiere screening followed by Q&A with the English dubbed voices for some of One Piece’s most iconic villains.
Soon, there will be only darkness
and terror will be all they know.
Netflix today let the main trailer and key art for Castlevania: Nocturneout of the shadows, giving fans a dangerously close look at the vampire-haunted world of revolution, magic and violence that awaits in the next installment of the Castlevania universe. The series premieres Thursday, September 28, but will get an early digital screening as part of the streamer’s DROP 01 virtual event, showcasing Netflix’s hottest animated genre series.
Castlevania: Nocturne Synopsis: France, 1792 — the height of the French Revolution. In a remote part of western France, the counter-revolutionary aristocracy has forged an alliance with a terrifying Vampire Messiah, who promises to “eat the sun” and unleash an army of vampires and nightcreatures to crush the revolution and enslave humanity. Annette, a sorceress from the Caribbean, seeks out Richter Belmont, last descendant of the long-fabled family of vampire hunters, to lead the resistance.
From showrunners Kevin Kolde (Castlevania) and Clive Bradley (Trapped), the 8 x 25′ series is produced by Project 51 Productions and animated by Powerhouse Animation for Netflix. Bradley also serves as creator/writer. Sam Deats and Adam Deats share directing duties. Zodwa Nyoni, Temi Oh and Testament also wrote episodes for Nocturne.
The series stars Edward Bluemel as Richter Belmont, Thuso Mbedu as Annette, Pixie Davies as Maria Renard, Sharon D. Clarke, Richard Dormer, Iain Glen, Sydney James Harcourt, Elarica Johnson as Drolta, Nastassja Kinski as Tera, Zahn McClarnon as Orlox, Aaron Neil, Franka Potente as Erzsebet Bathory and Sophie Skelton as Julia Belmont.
